Design, fabrication and computational simulation of a bio-kinetic façade inspired by the mechanism of the Lupinus Succulentus plant for daylight and energy efficiency

Abstract

Designing a facade that is able to keep the balance between the daylight, view out and energy load is a challenge. The present paper aims to use the sun’s radiant energy utilizing the facade as the outer skin, which is in contact with the surroundings to reduce nonrenewable energy consumption and provide comfort to occupants. Using bionic science, a kinetic facade prototype was designed and fabricated with Lupinus Succulentus plants’ movement mechanism, a type of sun-tracking plant. This kinetic façade has been simulated by Grasshopper on the facade of the Southern side of an open office in Tehran. Accordingly, this study is to investigate a bio-kinetic facade, using the integration among kinetic architecture, biomimicry and occupants’ visual and thermal comfort. Bio-kinetic façade not only causes cooling load reduction by approximately 7% but also prevents the direct light entry, resulting in electric lighting load’s reduction by about 48%, which was calculated by Honey bee and Ladybug plugins.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the member of the construction workshop of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Sharif University of Technology, Mohammad Ali Zonoobi and Dorin Javaherneshan, undergraduate students of Sharif University of Technology. At the same time the authors would like to thank Dr. Masoud Mirmasoumi the head of Plant Physiology Laboratory of Faculty of Biology, University of Tehran. Also, Vahid Azizi CEO of Parsiocad.

Disclosure statement

All authors have participated in (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of the data; (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (c) approval of the final version. This manuscript has not been submitted to, nor is under review at, another journal or other publishing venue. The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript.