INTELLIGENT BUILDING FACADE

DISSERTATION SYNOPSIS

JOM K JOSE
Semester 7
AIM

To Research the Capabilities of Intelligent Facades In Extreme Climatic context and

sustainable practices

INTENSION

● To know about the things that affect the sustainable facade design
● To know the benefits of the intelligent building facade
● To know intelligent facades is better in terms of energy consumption.
● To know about possibilities of the intelligent facade in future
● To know about the building operational energy and building occupant comfort

OBJECTIVES

● Study about some of the sustainable buildings and intelligent facades

● Study in the Indian context
● Study of material and its application purpose
● Live case studies of intelligent building facades
● understand the overall process and challenges
● Analysis of economical benefits of intelligent building facades

SCOPE

It will encompass the history of selected buildings and the potential of the building and its
impact on context provides information on using intelligent facade as an effective
architectural tool in merging the past and present and also most importantly there is a lot
of discussion going on the subject whether an intelligent face is economical or not, by this
study we can come up to a conclusion.

LIMITATION

● There are no specific standard guidelines for a facade design to follow

● Can’t have the same design repeated everywhere in the country or across the globe,
it should be decoded indigenous to the local climatic conditions.
HYPOTHESIS

To know whether intelligent building facade can be made sustainable and economically
concerning climatic conditions, By the per-day cost analysis we can show that it is
economically beneficial and sustainable

ABSTRACT

To meet the functional performance and requirements on the environmental, ecological,

social, and aesthetical aspects, it became a necessity to develop other options of a building
that would be more efficient in the provision of those requirements, so a new generation
has appeared called “Smart Buildings” or “Intelligent Buildings”. it has been a necessity to
adopt a descriptive and analytical Method for the previous knowledge and take sequential
research steps. The first step was to build a comprehensive theoretical framework by
defining the intelligent façade. Down to abstracting three main vocabularies of the
theoretical framework represented by the sustainable and climatic response, intelligent
façade techniques, and effective response. The next research steps focused on applying
the vocabularies of the theoretical framework to the elected local office buildings that have
been adopted the matter of intelligent façades in one of their forms, and then analyze the
results of the applicable study, to be able to conclude, and by this, the research presented
determining recommendations.

The study will begin with a literature review based on previous reading and book analysis.
Then, some case studies will be used such as Manitoba Hydro Place, Al Bahar Towers,
Powerhouse Brattorkaia, and Powerhouse Kjorbo, to study the case of the intelligent façade
in each of the buildings. After this research is done, this intelligent façade should be
developed and applied to buildings to shield them from almost all environmental changes
and provide them with the necessary energy.
INTRODUCTION

The Importance of intelligent façades in the buildings is prominent under the interests of
sustainability from the aspects of resources, energy conservations, and controlling their
applications and use. In addition to producing energy from renewable (green) resources
which have no harm to the environment; moreover, they’re more interested in attaining
multi-performance benefits; besides the financial benefits.
The previous global studies and theses and their applications and practices provided a
wide domain of knowledge which can be useful for the designers that aim to do such façade
designs or even developing or replacing the existing ones in buildings; from the aspects of
their formations, technologies and their reliable materials. Moreover, the nature of
performance and the way they respond to the variable everyday representations and
circumstances.

WHY INVEST IN FACADES

India is the world’s fourth-largest energy consumer (EIA, 2013) and fifth-largest source of
greenhouse gas emissions (GOI, 2010). With the building sector contributing 35% of the
total electricity consumption (Rawal et al, 2012), and projected five-fold growth in the
constructed area anticipated by 2030 - from 21 billion square feet in 2005 to 104 billion
square feet, building energy efficiency plays a major role in managing energy use in India.

INTELLIGENCE IN ARCHITECTURE

The intelligent features in a façade require integration of responsive dynamic capabilities,

which allow for changes in the façade’s configuration based on daily and seasonal stimuli,
and considering the surrounding environmental context to reduce the energy consumption
and increase the building efficiency. Developing buildings with intelligent features should
achieve better performance by implementing the following processes:
● Creation of a relationship between the occupants’ behavior and indoor space condition
● Provision of automatic adjustments in response to environmental changes and occupant’s
requirements.
● Generation of cost-effective modifications based on changes in tasks and users behavior
BACKGROUND STUDY

How the facade looks when you look at high buildings from the exterior in various places in
the country, but the facade design has to be climatic specific depending on the location.
The facade design should vary to reap the maximum benefit on building performance and
indoor environment besides aesthetics. so we can't have the same design repeated
everywhere in the country or across the globe. It should be decoded indigenous to the local
climatic conditions, This is how the facade should take care of your building's operational
energy and building occupant comfort.

Intelligent facades are defined as the exterior enclosure that uses the least possible energy
to maintain a comfortable environment which promotes productivity with the help of select
materials which have a less negative impact on the environment. So not only operational
energy performance the facade material should be eco-friendly and should have a very
minimal negative impact. We cannot eliminate the effects of the environment where we use
original material where we should know how to compile two materials and select the one
which has a very less impact on the environment.

● When we look into why we need a proper facade for a building?

● why not just build a building and leave it.?

It Improves building aesthetic value you can look at a different building in different location
of a country you get a wow factor when you see from exterior to certain building like earlier
days when used to see a tall building and elegant look so that is also required this is why
the architects play a major role in improving the aesthetic value of the building. also, facade
due to the tropical climate in the country we need to minimize the heat gain to the building
when minimizing heat gain we will be saving energy during occupancy, and also when you
have a facade that gives comfort to the environment indoor we can improve the occupant
comfort and productivity thereby the focus will be on energy.
How daylight brings to the interiors, How do we provide a view to the exterior environment?
How to minimize the glare to the occupant otherwise you have to put on the blinds and cut
down the daylight and work in a dark environment with artificial lighting.
It should be easy to maintain. We can't bring some element to the facade and bring it a lot
of difficulties to maintain.
Acoustics is very critical when you have built across any major roads and traffic, ventilation,
and aesthetics are playing a major role where you need to have a seawater level is
maintained so that people will have proper ventilation to breathe and operate
In a nutshell, if we look at what are the factors affecting facade design? how do you choose
a facade material and all kinds of these specifications required to maintain?
One is the project location and climate, what kind of climate in which the building is going
to sit and operate. Orientation of the building, Usage type[day operated or night
operated]kind of material going to use for the particular climatic condition, how you are
going to finish it and how complex the design and application of the building. So all these
important factors should be mapped right at the beginning of the building design. So that
you can bring the proper facade to the building, it's like a person wearing your clothes.

HISTORY - evolution

As our industry continues to evolve,harnessing and embracing new technologies and

materials our buildings adapt and our role as a facade also changes.In the beginning it was
simple, a wall that supported the roof or floor with a hole to let in the air and light,there might
be a door or a shutter to keep the rain out.windows were enlarged to the point of forming
virtually the entire wall that was not needed for roof support.

During the sixteenth century of

England,large areas of glass
brought to design concept especially
in mansions.Bess Of Hardwick
house is one of the best example of
this.Because of the use of classical
canons in renaissance architecture
large facade openings
precluded.The need for this kind of
opening comes out again towards
the beginning of nineteenth century.

With the development of steel frame structures,potential of combining iron and glass were
discovered ,especially in buildings such as railway stations,exhibition halls etc..The
railroads and civil structures quickly escalated iron and steel capability.
 The Multi Storey farming system
originated in England in
1792.William strut's Calico mill
used internal wrought iron posts
instead of brick piers.

By 1844 refinements replaced the traditional load bearing masonry wall with thin infill
behind its iron structure in the portsmouth Royal Navy Dockyard.When large glazed walls
came into existence the problem of fire proofing also emerged.The application of glass
curtain walls can be seen widely in Chicago and Network skyscrapers starting from middle
of the nineteenth century.solving this fireproofing required the fire proofing to be
supported directly on the building frame ,because of this reason masonry reappears.In this
recurrence masonry was adapted from being load bearing to being hanged on the
frame.some new systems such as interlocking clay tile to encase framing members are
developed for the protection of the main structure.

Another system,a wrapping system was developed by Chicago architect Peter eight and
terracotta producer Sanford Levi's in 1874,this technique reverses the previous role of
metal and masonry and oriented the mindset towards full masonry desperation at the
building exterior wall.Masonic temple is generally accepted as the first application of the
fully masonry curtain wall.

Then the architects experimented with different cladding materials.At the first years of
curtain wall application alongside with the stone ,most preferred was terracotta
stone,because it is light weight,plastic and aesthetic qualities and fire resistance Hallidie
building was the first pure application of this concept.

Aluminium had become increasingly common in the first half of 20 th century.It was not
until various alloys were developed that it became the strong and ductile material that has
become common in construction.
A key advantage was that aluminium could be extruded into fine and precise shapes and
tempered to give it a higher strength.Empire state building by architects shreve,lamb and
Harmon in 1929 used aluminium spandrels.

Other panelized curtain walls also appeared in cladding options,these included composite
metal panels containing lightweight cores of plastic insulation ,precast concrete panels
etc.Even traditional brick and stucco became integrated into manufactured curtain wall
systems.

After 1945 a major advance was

made by Pietro Beluschu in his
equitable building in Portland,this
was the first large building to be
totally sheathed in glass and
aluminium the first to be fully air
conditioned and double glazed and
first to have a traveling crane for
window washing.

Development of extruded aluminium

frames began in the 1950s.
 The Lever building in New York
by bolting glasses together with
metal patches,a system called
structural glass was introduced in
the 1960's.

Today curtain walls applications

are reloaded all over the
world,especially glass curtain
walls.On the other hand new
materials like composites,artificial
stones or pvc based materials are
also developed.

New trends towards lighter and

economical skins,stress on energy
efficiency and requirement of
highly controlled interior
environment.Besides
glass,metal,composites even stone
claddings are part of digital
architecture.

Now we have access to cleaner ,smarter options that are lightweight and self healing
providing unique opportunities to deliver 3D dimensional printed buildings.we can harness
artificial intelligence to create adaptive building envelope.
FUNCTIONS OF A FACADE

The facade should be noise resistant weather resistant

Should utilise the sunlight Have to be well ventilated

UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS OF FACADE DESIGN

Green Walls -fully covered with plants

which give a better aesthetics to the
facade provide a cool interior space.

Automatic Louvers -Fins made out of

wood which is motorised depending
on the sun angle and can adjust the
blinds and control the heat increase, at
the same time can allow the light to
penetrate and arrest heat.

BIPV - Building integrated

photovoltaics is the integration of
photovoltaic into the building parts.
The PV modules serve the dual
function of building skin, that is
replacing conventional building
materials and power generators.now
we have thin film technology where in
glass which has got inbuilt solar we
can generate power and also use it as
glass.
Algae-filled walls - is a new
technology for producing energy
empowering green buildings. The
algae cell wall works as a cycle. In
each panel, the algae grows in water.
The algae is then harvested after a few
days or weeks for energy, food,
cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals. To
start the next growing cycle, a small
amount of algae was left. In
photosynthesis, algae take in carbon
dioxide and produce oxygen.
ORIENTATION

How the orientation has to be in India for our

warm climate normally we get cool light on north
and south can be managed easily you can’t have
a more exposed area in east and west if at all we
have an opportunity in site orient your building we
normally go with more north and south orientation
and put less load on the east and west even if we
get east and west areas to be protected we can
create the same sort of space which can be
utilized for services like a service core lift and
toilet facilities will act as a heat sink. so that the
heat from the east and the west the morning and
evening can be arrested to a large extend
normally our exposed areas should be more of
north and south, the north will be cool light and
you have glazing to get that daylight fenestration
to the interior south can be managed with some
sort of facade design in terms of projection
material. once we have an orientation normally
we have two standards we follow for the glass
selection and one is the energy conservation codes of India the latest 2017 standard and
ASHRAE 2019bothdefining the specification for our climate.ECBCdefines our India into 4
climatic zones and ASHRAE defines one. Talking about SHGC {Solar Heat Gain
Coefficient} of 0.25 is the standard for India and this standard optimises heat increased to
the building and brings optimum daylight still we can go up to 0.5-0.6 in the north where we
get cool light.
DAYLIGHTING

We can have a overhanging where ever required and the facade you can look at so that
the projection angle can be optimised or designed based on heat increase and sun path
study to get the sun angle hitting the bottom not the glass so the projection angle for the
chajja has to be designed so that the sun angle will never hit your glass in that way you can
get the diffused light to interiors never the direct heat came to the glass which affects indoor
building performance .projection angle and projection depth has to be decided based on
glass height and width this is very critical for designing a facade element with respect to
glass facade to be choosed.moment you get daylight pand perform the daylight analysis
and see how much is the daylight penetration based on the glass specification and window
to wall ratio and where ever we have daylight try to go for daylight sensor once we have a
daylight sensor our artificial lighting can be controlled based on lux what we have on the
interior space.this is how the general approach for the facade design and projection and
glass selection

ANALYSIS REQUIRED FOR A FACADE DESIGN

Facade shading analysis -how the entire 24 hours we can check the day of the year ,how
the shading and sunlight penetration to the building
Daylight analysis -how this facade is giving a daylight to the interior environment where
in you can control the artificial light,and save energy
Heat gain analysis -how the heat from the facade is having impact on indoor environment
and air conditioning load
Sun Path Analysis-understand the sun angle and then we can orient our building and
design our facade to cut the heat directly into the building
After all these analysis done finally we come to how this building is performing over on an
energy.how much is hvac energy consumed in the building ,how much from lighting ,how
much from equipment,even we can divide further divide into ventilation system,occupancy
..etc so we have to bring this no and then revisit again and see how we can optimise to
control this energy.
The moment after collecting all this analysis we can come back to the overall energy
performance,this is how an approach should done for a facade selection and
implementation

IMPACT AND SHADING DEVICES

You can see the projection

angle which is smaller here
since the window height is
small and window height is
more for the projection angle
have to be little more so that
the light will not heat the
glass directly so in a
particular other than north
side can go upto 0.45 but
rest of the areas we can
control predominantly
reduce to 0.2 so the light
penetration can be optimised
at the same time heat
increase can be
minimised,ultimately look
forward for window to wall
ratio of 20-30% that is the
best to achieve optimum
heat gain.
The overall impact has to be seen and implemented to not only save energy but also save
on investment part .A typical analysis performed by ‘National Programme on Technology
Enhanced Learning’ in one of the building in andhra pradesh is shown below .

When we have no shading devices we

can see here how daylight penetration is
happening. If it increases 300 mm we
can see the shading impact on overall
performance.
Result says if there is no shading we need to have
a glass of 0.27 solar heat gain coefficient double-
glazed unit if it increase your shading you can
relax on your glass.400mm,500mm,600 mm just
you need a 0.34SHGC where as no shading same
building require 0.27 to get the daylighting to get
the required energy performance.0.27 to 0.35 will
definitely have a impact on investment and the
glass this will be costlier in terms of glass
performance and this investment for 0.35 is
relaxed in terms of investment these are the
element the facade translate into the glass
selection investment is more critical you can't have
a facade in isolation and glass selection has to be
a combination of facade fins and selection of final
glasses SHGC value.Optimisation of investment
on glass and also get enough daylight fenestration
and savings on edge back during operation.

GLASS FACADE DESIGN

Three major factor look at for glass -SHGC,U Value,Visible light Transmittance
All three to be balanced to get the best out of glass facade where we have glass is very
vital for building where we need to get the exterior view and daylight penetration at the
same time.Heat increase optimisation is based on a combination of lower SAGC lower U
value and higher the VLT according to ashrae 90.1.2010.even ECBC classifies 5 climatic
zones -composite,hot and dry ,warm and humid,cold and temperate.Vertical fenestration
shall comply with the maximum Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and U-factor
requirements of given tables below.[ ref-ECBC 2017]
LITERATURE CASE STUDY - 01
RCC HEADQUARTERS RUSSIA -
Facing the River Iset in Ekaterinburg, Russia, the newly opened building is envisioned as
a ‘house for staff’ with stacked modules, ample daylight and bifurcated staircases.

Project Details

Name: RCC Headquarters

Location: Ekaterinburg, Russia
Client: RCC (Russian Copper Company)
Architect and Interiors: Foster + Partners
Collaborating Architect: P. M. VostokProekt
Structural, Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Foster + Partners/P. M. Vostok Proyek
Site Area: 2,415m2
Area (Gross): 18,450m²
Net Internal Area: 14,045m2
Typical Floor Area: 943m²
Number of Floors: 3 basement + 15 above ground
Facade Engineer: Priedemann
Vertical Transportation: D2E
Lighting Consultant: Jason Bruges Studio
Acoustic Engineer: Sandy Brown
Landscape Consultant: Hyland Edgar Driver

The project revitalised a former brownfield site in proximity to the path of the Iset River
within the inner city. Head of Studio at Foster + Partners, Luke Fox, states, “The new
headquarters for RCC exemplifies the practice’s commitment to innovation and marks the
culmination of a long and fruitful process”.the facade enveloping reminiscent of a jagged,
crystalline sheath bathed in a golden aura.
Rising to a height of 88 metres, the 15-storey, 18,450 sqm building boasts of 123 offices,
meeting spaces, a video conference room, boardroom, a large central lobby, and an
executive dining area. The three-storey basement parking accommodates spaces for 85
cars, 32 cycles, and two handicapped bays alongside EV charging stations. The building
as a whole is intended to be an emblem for RCC in Ekaterinburg. Its state-of-the-art
modular exterior facade pays tribute to the organisation's line of work while providing a
dazzling riverside landmark for residents.

Ekaterinburg's wide seasonal temperature ranges from +30 and -30 degrees Celsius. The
structure required a balance between opaque and transparent glazed exterior sections that
maximised daylight from the low-angled winter sun and alleviated excess heat during
summers.Foster + Partners aimed to achieve performance levels worthy of the highest
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) rating
while designing the facade system.

Honouring RCC's position as one of the largest producers of copper worldwide, the
building's unitised facade scheme combines framed, triple-glazed sections with
triangular elements inspired by the crystalline lattice structure of copper itself. These
elements are composed of bronze PVD-coated micro-ribbed stainless steel, mounted
in two-storey cladding modules on the building's in-situ white concrete structure.
Featuring sharp, angular edges and axial symmetry, they impart a vibrant sense of
rhythm to the facade and forge visual continuity with surrounding structures. The
building's crown incorporates the company's redesigned logo, which is in turn
drawn out from the architecture.
While designing the internal layouts, the goal was to avoid the tropes of large, communal
work areas and instead re-envision
the office as a 'house for staff' on a
more 'intimate, domestic scale’. For
this purpose, the practice solicited
the aid of its workplace consultancy
group to develop a cutting-edge
modular construction system based
on a thorough analysis of RCC's
operations. In-house engineering
teams then utilised this data to
facilitate efficient, high-quality
construction that ensured optimum
daylight in workspaces.

The resulting system comprises

double-storey modules that inform
the exterior facade grid. They consist
of pairs of offices stacked above one
another and placed along both sides
of a central double-height hallway
that acts as a breakout area -
featuring a bifurcated staircase,
lounge seating and expansive views
of the city through the glazed lift
shaft. At the uppermost level is a
gathering space for company-wide
events, which are top-lit by glass
lanterns.
Expansive windows framed by triangular elements are strategically patterned to form the
facade. These glazed interior sections provide views of the city skyline and newly
landscaped embankment below. At the ground level, this green area leads to a private zone
for the staff. The landscaping here adopts a cellular arrangement, similar to the facade and
interior, with tranquil spaces for employees to enjoy meals and unwind.
LITERATURE CASE STUDY - 02

AL -BAHAR ABU DHABI

The 25 floor Al Bahar Towers are located at the Eastern entrance of the junction of Al
Saada and Al Salam Streets,in the city of Abu Dhabi.Aedes Architects,in collaboration with
Arup Engineers,created an incredible facade which pays homage to traditional Arab
architecture and design in response to the extreme climatic condition.

PROJECT DETAILS

Name – Al Bahar Towers

Location- Abu Dhabi,UAE
Architect- Abdulmajid Karanouh+
Aedas Arquitectos
Asoociate Architect - Diar Consult
Engineer- Arup
Acoustic Engineer- Arup
Construction company- Al-futtaim Carillion
Construction Manager- Eter obom
Designed in- 2008
Built in- 2009-2012
Height- 147m
Roof height- 145.1m
Top floor height- 120m
Floors- 27
Land area- 100.08 sq.m
Floor area- 56 sq.m
Façade- Façade responsive
PRINCIPLES OF FAÇADE
DESIGN

< Performance oriented

<Culturally relevant

<technologically advanced

<Aesthetically intriguing building

BUILDING ORIENTATION

Climate – Hot desert climate

Highest temperature- 120 degree Farenheit

Towers are facing south so they need to control the temperature and at the same time there
is maximum utilization of solar energy present in abuntance.

FORM STRUCTURE ENVELOPE ADAPTIVE INTEGRATION

SOLUTION

The design began with 2 simple cylinders,Because the Circular plan giving the most
efficient floor area usage while also creating the geatest volume with the least surface area
which will highly reduce the sun exposure surface area
CLIMATE RESPONSIVENESS OF FAÇADE

<Tower features a dynamic,translucent façade that opens and closes in response to the
sun’s movement ,reducing solar gain upto 50%
<Façade is inspired by “Mashrabiya”,a form of wooden lattice screen used in islamic
architecture as ameans of retaining privacy while simutaneously reducing glare and solar
gain
<There are 2000 of these “Mashrabiya” components on each tower.

SCREENS
<Dynamic and sensitive shading screen acting as “mashrabiya”
<Secondary skin filters the light and reduces glare
<Powered by Renewable energy derived from Photovoltaic panels
<Wraps giant lattice almost 2 towers completely except for the area of North facing facades.
OPERATION

FULLY HALF FULLY GRADIENT BASED ON

CLOSED OPEN OPEN SUNPATH
As the sun rises in the morning in the East,the Mashrabiya along the side of the building
will begin to close,and when the sun moves around the Building,all vertical strips
Mashrabiya move with the sun.At night all screens fold,allowing more exposure of the
facade
 WORKING OF FACADE

Each unit comprises a series of panels stretched PTFE(polytetreafluroethylene) and is

driven by a linear actuator to progressively open and close once per day,in response to a
pre programmed sequence that is calculated to avoid direct sunlight to from the moment it
hits the façade

< Computer controlled

<Operates as a curtain wall
<Each triangle is coated with micro fibre glass
<programmed to respond to the movement of the sun
<It is an ancient technique used in a modern way
<The whole system is protected by a variety of sensors that open the units incase the
conditions change or the cloud winds appear
<Geometric patterns that make up the giant screen includes more than 1000 mobile
elements that contract and expand during the day,depending on the sun position
COMPONENTS

PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
Roofs facing south of each tower incorporates photovoltaic cells which generates
approximately five percent of the total energy required from the renewable energy
sources,used for heating water.

EFFICIENCY

<The screen reduces solar gain in more than 50% and reduces the need for air conditioning
<Screens ability to filter light has allowed to be more selective in the choice of glass
<This allows us to use more naturally tinted glass which allows more diffused light inside
and less need for artificial light
<The intelligent façade together with the solar themal panels for hot water hetaing and
Photovoltaic panels on the roof minimize the need for internal lighting and
cooling,altogether reducing total carbon dioxide emmissions by over 1750 tons per year.
<Due to the project’s sustainable approach and sesitivie cultural and urban approach,the
the towers were awarded the 2012 tall building innovation award.
MEDIA TIC OFFICE BUILDING,BARCELONA
MEDIA-TIC Building is located in the district 22 @ Barcelona,at the confluence of streets
rocc Boronat and Sancho d’avila,in the surroundings of the parc Barcelona Media.The
building is conceived as the public forum to be the point of communication and meeting
with companies and institutions in the world of information technology and communication
in Barcelona as well as average or audiovisual sector.

PROJECT DETAILS

Location- Barcelona,Spain
Category- Office (mixed use)
Architect- Cloud 9,Barcelona,Spain
Engineer- BOMA,Sr.Agusti obiols
Constructor- Bujvar Constructions
Client- Consorci Zona Franca Barcelona
Floors- 8
Site Area- 3572.45 sq.m
Building Area- 23104 sq.m
Occupancy capacity- 2418 people

This design is described as ‘Performative Architecture’ where the structure itself performs
other functions.It also describes how Architecture creates a new balance with the digital
use of energy.
Barcelona has a temperate climate with mild winters and warm summers(1419 Heating
degree days, and 588 cooling degree days), being the average annual average
temperature 15.68 degree celsius,the average cooler month temperature is 8.2 degree
celsius and the hotter month temperature is 24.1 degree celsius.

Ground floor,mezzanine and first floor includes exhibit areas,classrooms, and an

auditorium for a 300 audience close to entrance hall.Between the second and fifth floor a
business incubator for media start ups is located.Floor plans is divided into small offices
arranged around the main facades and the rectangular courtyard that ends in the centre of
the southwest façade

The building used a metallic structure composed of four rigid,braced frames 14.25m apart.
The frames consists of metal fink truss-style beams made of seven and eight section forged
girders.Each frame has a support beam that transfers its load to ‘galleries’ the rigid support
centres
The building has four facades,the NORTHWEST façade,virtually blind since it hosts the
communication and services,the NORTHEAST facde,consisting of a regular curtain wall
with interior and manual screens as shading systems
SOUTHEAST façade
Exposed to solar radiation 6 hours per day,so to control solar gain an adaptive building skin
of ETFE was designed.The inflatable elements of ETFE are:

TYPE A-3 ETFE layers leaving 2 air chambers between them.the first layer is
transparent,the second and third have a pattern to deflate and couple causes shade and
creates a single opaque layer.The air chambers between different layers not only slightly
improve thermal insulation,but also enables the control of solar radiation through a
pnematic system and a pressure sensor located in each cusion.

TYPE B- DOUBLE LAYER SYSTEM-The outer layer contain circles and the interior is
composed of ETFE coloured in green.The solar factor is 0.55

TYPE C-DOUBLE LAYER SYSTEM-The outer layer is transparent and the interior is
composed of ETFE coloured in green.The solar factor is around 0.65

TYPE D-DOUBLE LAYER SYSTEM-The outer layer is transparent and the interior contains
silver circumferences.The solar factor is 0.5

SOUTH EAST FAÇADE INFLATABLE EFTE ELEMENT THROUGH

PNEMATIC SYSTEM
EFTE has some special characteristics:
<Deliver a façade and sunscreen with a thickness of 200mm
<Great results with less materials <Ultra violet coefficient 85%
<Density-350 g/sq.m <Auto fuel material <Elasticity
<Meeting of the geometrical form

1-Photovoltaic modules 2-Green roof 3-Suspended working platform

4-ETFE Facades 5-Solar sun shading achieved via a system which injects fog
Into the cusions
6-Nitrogen cylinder 7-Oil mist seperator 8-fog generating system
9-Circular cased axial fan 10-Inflation unit 11-directional luxmeter operating fog system
12-central computer of building management system 13-bioluminescent paint applied to
Primary structure
Although one of the main objectives of the façade design was to prevent lighting
problems,there are still aspects to improve performances.It is effective for 40% of the users
while 25% have glare problems and 15%have not enough natural light,especially the ones
that are sitting close to the core of the building in divided spaces.

Winter conditions
 Summer conditions
Thermal sensation Thermal satisfaction Light satisfaction
Advantages of adaptive facades in office building in temperate climate

<The adaptive facades should deal with variable conditions even in the same day and have
react in a different way in winter and summer conditionsThe reaction time of the façade is
crucial to adapt in such changeable boundary conditions,especially in lighting terms.We
could assess that the reaction time is not fast enough in media ITC to prevent glare,even if
the system could resolve that easily as each cusion has its own sensor and CPU.In addition
EFTE cusions are really flexible to shape adaptations.

COHERENT AND HOLISTIC ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS

While designing innovative façade systems,Architecture cannot be forgotten nor its holistic
understanding EFTE skins are definitely advances in the development of adaptive building
facades.
Besides in architectural design,the decision of placing the services and communications in
an opaque façade oriented to the north could be improved .Barcelona’s climate and current
technology allows offices to face north without great heat losses and with homogenous
natural light provided without glare problems.