LAUSR

Abstract Transformable building envelope design plays a key role in energy performance and sustainability of the built environment considering the thermal, lighting, acoustic, and visual comfort of the occupants, as well as aesthetics, economics and durability. Kinetic building envelopes may provide a real-time process of reconfiguration enlivening the environmental performance compared to conventional static building envelopes and enhancing the end-users’ comfort. Transformable systems may be developed for direct application on building facades, in order to provide control of natural lighting, ventilation and temperature of the inner spaces through their own surface configurations and materials. In architectural education, transformable building envelope design refers to an integrated approach of architectural development in terms of morphology, structure and construction. The methodology exposes students to the design logic of responsive systems as related with aspects of sustainability, materiality, functionality and aesthetics on one side and structure kinematics and stability on the other side. The pedagogical approach of respective projects conducted focuses on a nonlinear technology-driven design and analysis throughout different scales, from the element, to the system and building envelope scale. Primary aims of the projects presented in the current paper involve the conceptualization, investigation and analysis of kinetic mechanisms in physical models, geometrical simulations, motion analyses and daylight performance.