Welcome
We welcome you to our website. Here, you will discover the details, results and conclusions of a high-level strategic review of Dynamic Façades. We hope you enjoy your visit!

Course
As a team of post-graduate students studying Sustainable Engineering, energy supply and demand is at the core of our academic focus. The course format has given us an opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team to investigate an energy-related problem in collaboration with an industrial client.

Sustainability & Dynamic Façades
Energy use in buildings accounts for almost 50% of all CO2 emissions within the UK, with over 40% of energy consumption in Scotland a result of HVAC operation. Heating  is the single biggest energy consumer in our society and the concept of integrating Dynamic Façades into our buildings could potentially reduce this requirement.

The European Union and its member states has historically been a leader in the development and adoption of stringent environmental policies. The EU has set itself comprehensive and demanding targets for curbing its greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing its security of energy supply. By 2020, EU member states have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% (compared to 1990 levels), meeting 20% of energy demand via renewable energy technology and lowering their energy consumption by 20% through increased energy efficiency. Governmental policy at regional, national and European level is at this ideologies core. To add to this, the recent price hikes of the ‘Big 6’ UK energy firms have brought energy consumption to the fore-front of the consumers’ minds.

Integration of Dynamic Façades with other building systems is one of  many choices which could potentially save energy in buildings. This aspect was driven by technological advances in transparent buildings and the general motivation for high quality green buildings. Façade design alternatives have shifted to utilizing dynamic fenestration and shading systems for optimal control of daylight and solar gains. The concept of dynamic façades (installing controllable elements on the building envelope) is not new; however, it is only during the last few years that architects and engineers have started to trust these systems and use them in buildings. This project focus on feasibility and impact evaluation of  dynamic façades systems for developing the quality and economy of this technology to be sustainable in the future.

University of Strathclyde

Renewable Energy Systems and the Environment

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