Impacts of Responsive Facades on the Indoor Thermal Environment and Occupants Visual Comfort

Façades as the most strategic components influence the appearance and environmental performance of buildings. The façade is a medium through which the interaction between inside and outside takes place. So, it determines the energy performance of a building significantly. Responsive and kinetic facades are new-born and innovative types of facades which have been widely used by architects and engineers in recent years. These types of facades have the potential of enhancing the building’s aesthetic values as well as their energy performance. There are limited number of investigations in the field of energy analysis of responsive facades. However, the available investigations clearly indicate the influence of these components on indoor thermal comfort, visual comfort, natural ventilation, and also energy performance. These capabilities are achieved through the controllability of responsive facades. However, the controlling system, physical features, material, color, porosity, etc. influence the performance and efficiency of responsive facades.