CLIMATE

RESPONSIVE
ARCHITECTURE
BY SWARNIM JAIN
CLIMATE ADAPTIVE
BUILDING SHELLS
Climate adaptive building shell (CABS) is a term in building
engineering that describes the group of facades and roofs that
interact with the variability in their environment in a dynamic way.

CABS

thermophysical properties
through the exchange of energy
kinetic envelopes (which implies
from one form to another. Smart
that a certain kind of observable
materials such as shape-memory
motion is present)
alloys or temperature-responsive
polymers are used
METHODS
Active Daylighting
Dynamic Insulation

Phase change Material

Smart glass
Surry Hills Library,
Sydney
DAYLIGHTING
SYSTEMS
Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings
and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light
provides effective internal lighting.
Installed in Masdar City,This active
daylighting system uses a
collector with a suntracking mirror
array to provide maximum and
constant illumination. The
system measures the light
intensity in the room and either
defocuses part of the mirror array
to avoid excessive light on a clear
day or illuminates integrated
backup fluorescent lights installed
in the light duct to provide
illumination in low daylight or night
conditions.

Passive
daylighting, Mint
museum , san
francisco
DYNAMIC INSULATION
Dynamic insulation is a form of
insulation where cool outside air
flowing through the thermal
insulation in the envelope of a
building will pick up heat from the
insulation fibres. Buildings can be
designed to exploit this to reduce the
transmission heat loss and to provide
pre-warmed, draft free air to interior
spaces.
SMART GLASS
Smart glass or switchable glass is glass or glazing whose
light transmission properties are altered when voltage, light
or heat is applied. Generally, the glass changes from
translucent to transparent, changing from blocking some (or
all) wavelengths of light to letting light pass through.

Eliminate blinds and shades

Preserve daytime and nighttime views
Allow people to enjoy shading on-
demand
Minimize glare
Reduce heating and cooling
requirements
Maximize daylighting
Protect interior furnishings and artwork
from fading
KINETIC
KUGGEN, SWEDEN

Every floor level adds two bays making the

building grow in size for every added floor.
The center of each circle is shifted so the
southern elevation gets the longest
shadow. A movable sunscreen tracks the
sun and adds to the shade to the two top
floors. (Existent buildings cast their
shadows on the lower levels).
Features
adaptive ventilation
adaptive lighting
interactive heating and
cooling systems
effective daylighting.
Projecting floors
(more on the south
Movable sun shade
side than the north to
to protect the upper
adapt to the sun)
two levels
AL BAHAR TOWERS
RESPONSIVE FAADE
For Abu Dhabis newest pair of towers, Aedas Architects have
designed a responsive facade which takes cultural cues from the
mashrabiya, a traditional Islamic lattice shading device.
At night they will all fold,
so they will all close, so
one can see more of the
facade. As the sun rises
in the morning in the east,
the mashrabiya along the
east of the building will all
begin to close and as the
sun moves round the
building, then that whole
vertical strip of
mashrabiya will move with
the sun. It is estimated
that such a screen
will reducing solar gain by
more than 50 percent, and
reduce the buildings need
for energy-draining air
conditioning.