Continental Automated Buildings Association

Information Series

IS 2008-18
Integration of Dynamic Facades with other
Building Systems www.caba.org
Integration of Dynamic Facades
with other Building Systems
Reprint Date: January 2008

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 INTEGRATION OF DYNAMIC FACADES WITH OTHER
BUILDING SYSTEMS

Driven by technological advances in transparent building facades 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 facades (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.

Dynamic building envelopes include advanced window technologies, innovative

fenestration systems and automated shading control, all of which characterize the new
“intelligent” buildings generation (together with efficient HVAC control systems).
Although a great idea, the design and implementation of such systems is a quite complex
task.

Each building requires a different design approach, depending on the type of use, climate,
orientation and transparency. During the early design stage, the building design team has
to choose from a wide variety of design options, for many of which the evaluation of
their impact on building performance could be difficult –especially for innovative
technologies. Inevitably, the selection of final design solutions often involves many
subjective factors. The fragmented nature of the building process, in which no member of
the design team considers the overall optimization of the indoor environment, further
compounds the problem. Therefore, traditional passive designs are often suggested as the
“safe” traditional solution in the final stage.

Nevertheless, the advantages of dynamic elements on the building envelope are obvious.
For example, glare can be controlled efficiently if automated shading is used in perimeter
zones. Roller shades move automatically so as to block direct sunlight and allow diffuse
light into the room, thereby eliminating glare and creating a pleasant luminous
environment; horizontal (venetian) blinds will re-direct natural daylight deep into the
space and improve lighting uniformity even in open plan offices; automated operable
windows will allow for natural ventilation in order to reduce overheating and bring fresh
air in the building.

It is the fact that the design of a dynamic façade equipped with all the above is complex
that does not allow for every building to be designed in this way. The performance of the
building envelope relates to different aspects of the buildings’ operations (heating,
cooling, lighting) and human comfort (thermal and visual). Consequently, an integrated
approach should be followed from the early design stage in order to achieve optimal
results, with architects, engineers and specialized building energy consultants providing
input during the design process.

Recent studies have shown that appropriate fenestration/shading design and control,
linked with simultaneous control of electric lighting and HVAC components, could
significantly reduce peak cooling load and energy consumption for lighting and cooling,
while maintaining good thermal and lighting indoor conditions.

Regarding the benefits of automated building envelope components, there are some basic
issues. In office and institutional buildings, the designers have to deal with protection
from glare before anything else. That means that the shades would have to close in order
to prevent direct sunlight falling on the occupants –that would also prevent overheating.
If not automated, it is up to the person seated near the window to open/close the shade;
but this would not contribute to reducing energy consumption for cooling/lighting since it
is a random and subjective process. It has been observed that at least 30% of the people
would leave the shades closed during cloudy days (minimizing useful daylight
transmission) and open during clear days (increasing the cooling demand). And what
about when there is no one in the room (lunch breaks, weekends, etc.)? Automated
operation can solve all these problems without compromising comfort (with appropriate
control). Individual needs can also be met with manual override control.

But then comes the question: “What should the properties of the shades be”? We still
want natural daylight into the space (and view to the outside) but no glare. Therefore the
shade should allow some daylight (diffuse) but at the same time block sunlight. In the
end, it all comes down to the balance between positive and negative effects of solar
radiation (and daylight). It is now known that shades with transmittance higher than 5%
are bound to cause glare under very clear sky. Therefore 5% is often a recommended
value. However, the color of the shade affects the view to the outside and the absorbed
heat from the sun. Dark colors allow better view but absorb more so they will increase air
temperature. In other words, the color of the shade could improve visual comfort but also
increase thermal discomfort. There are solutions to this problem as well. The fabric could
be dark on the interior surface and light on the exterior (reflecting outside instead of
absorbing). And, of course, the possibility of horizontal blinds (louvers) which rotate
automatically according to the sun’s position can ensure optimal performance –however,
this system has to be designed carefully. The location of the shading device is important:
exterior devices outperform any interior one, but usually shades are placed inside for
aesthetic and maintenance reasons.

When the task of shading design and control has been solved (at least partly at the early
design stage), there is still more that can be done. The evolution of lighting controls now
allows for cost effective and efficient automated light dimming (or switching). The lights
will turn off (or dim to a minimum level) when there is enough daylight in the space and
they will be controlled accordingly when electric lighting is needed. Occupancy sensors
will ensure that no extra energy will be consumed when there is no one in the room. Light
sensors are now equipped with sophisticated control algorithms that only require two-
three sensors per building façade. The lights can be also controlled based on type of task
and user preferences.

Now it’s just a matter of integrating lighting control operation with automated shading in
order to achieve the best possible performance. And how can this be done? By
considering shading and lighting control, the “total lighting system”, as an integral part of
envelope (and perimeter zone) design from the early design stage. The shades will
respond to the continuously changing outdoor conditions and the lights will be dimmed
accordingly -not necessarily as a separate system but depending on the shading
properties, position and control. This may sound simple but it requires that they must be
some sort of inter-communication between the two systems –and the technology is here
today.

The last part of the integration of dynamic facades with the other building systems relates
to the HVAC system. The impact of automated shading and lighting control on the
HVAC system design and control has two parts: (i) reduce the chiller size due to effective
shading, therefore reducing capital cost and (ii) reduce cooling energy consumption due
to decreased internal gains (lights) and solar gains (shading). These two points should be
an essential part of the early design stage because this is when the critical decisions are
being made. Except for reducing the system size, appropriate dynamic temperature
control in perimeter zones (taking into account shading and lighting control) could
significantly reduce energy consumption. Other dynamic envelope options such as
operable windows for natural ventilation are also important and need to be taken into
account when designing a façade and the mechanical system requirements.

Working in projects with dynamic façade technologies has shown that, for an average
size building (10-15 storeys, 50,000 sq. ft) with glazed facades, the energy savings for
cooling due to automated shading and lighting control could reach 40%, while the
lighting energy consumption can be reduced by more than 60%, compared to a passive
envelope design. Peak cooling load can also be reduced by 20-40%. These make dynamic
envelope technologies very attractive, since they contribute to reduction in energy
demand, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and healthier building environments.