The increasing requirements in construction for lower energy consumption have accelerated the trend towards the use of high-performance buildings. In these Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB), simple measures such as natural light control are practised to maximise the light intake and minimise the heat gain as required. These modern building envelopes interact with external environments and respond to occupants demands, achieving the target energy efficiency and comfort needs. In these kinetic facades, shape morphing triggered by buckling may be exploited for energy-saving structural applications. Among the structural forms that are suitable for such applications are buckling of thin plates and flexural-torsional buckling of slender frames. This study presents two novel concepts with application in shading control modules. In the first model, buckling of slender plates is configured to create a bistable mechanism with closed and open states. In the second system, the out-of-plane flexural-torsional buckling of a frame is utilised to provide shading. The proposed mechanisms are simulated using finite element software to validate the feasibility of the core concepts and to evaluate buckling as a reliable mechanism in kinetic facade control modules.
展开▼
