Smart and Dynamic Facades: A Path to Energy Optimization in Arid Environments

Abstract

The modern movement of architecture has led to a proliferation of buildings featuring transparent facades, which unfortunately amplify the energy needs of these structures. Mitigating this energy consumption necessitates a reevaluation of architectural strategies. Addressing concerns such as overheating, innovative solutions like smart and dynamic double-skin facades have emerged to curtail energy usage while ensuring comfortable indoor conditions. This study focuses on examining the efficacy of smart facades, employing electrochromic glazing, and dynamic double-skin facades, and integrating dynamic shading systems, in reducing energy consumption within office buildings located in hot and arid regions. Parametric simulations were used on a particular office building, comparing scenarios with and without the implementation of smart and dynamic double-skin facades, particularly on south-facing orientations. The simulations varied the wall-to-window ratio (WWR) to gauge energy performance under different configurations. Furthermore, multi-objective optimization (MOO) techniques were employed to analyze and optimize shading device properties. Parameters such as depth, distance from the glass, shade angle, and spacing between shades were optimized as genetic variables to determine the most energy-efficient configuration for office buildings. The study results demonstrate that the use of EC glazing is beneficial in all WWR percentages, achieving 67.65% of energy saving in 90% of WWR., Also it was found that the optimal solution for saving energy is using DDSF with 20 cm of shading depth, 45° of shading angle, and double low-E vacuum in the inner skin, with an energy saving of 70.32% in the case of 90% of WWR compared to the base case.

Keywords

• energy consumption
• energy-efficiency
• parametric simulation
• multi-objective optimization
• office building
• hot, arid region