Windows that change their light permeability at the touch of a button, façades, whose color can be changed according to the sunlight, façades and window parts in which transparent photovoltaic modules are integrated or in which microalgae are being bred to provide the house with its own biofuel: This is what the buildings of the future could feature, or at least something similar.
“Many of these ideas are certainly within imagination end even technological feasibility, today, in particular within the field of façades which may adapt to their environment and thus improve the energy efficiency of modern buildings,” states Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lothar Wondraczek from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany). “But only a fraction of this potential has been tackled so far, as the relevant materials and production processes are still missing,” he further explains.
The challenge lies in the large size
“This structured glass contains microfluidic channels through which a functional fluid circulates. As an example, this liquid will make it possible to automatically adjust the incidence of light or to harvest exterior heat which will then be transported to a heat pump,” Wondraczek explains. The scientists will conduct detailed tests of such façade and window modules to optimize the materials and their functional interaction. Therefore, ‘LaWin’ takes will take another step forward, i. e., to outside of the laboratory: Based on the results of their laboratory findings, the scientists plan to implement the innovative façades with reference buildings in order to test them under ‘real’ conditions. “The challenge lies in the large size“, Wondraczek points out. “As of today, there is no production process for such large-sized glass sheet with integrated micro structures. Moreover, the new glass façades have to be able to be integrated into conventional window and façade systems.” They also have to be cost-effective. After all, a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and 40 percent of the energy consumption are due to the heating, cooling, air conditioning and lighting of buildings. Investments in energy efficient buildings are hence the most important levers to significantly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and to reach the climate goals. “This is given by the laws of thermodynamics: To save and to efficiently use energy is always more beneficial than to generate it from whichever source,” the Jena materials scientist stresses. The topical area of ‘energy efficient buildings’ is therefore one of eight strategic key areas in which the European commission’s Public-Private-Partnership (PPP)-Initiative sees important possibilities for a sustainable reinforcement of the European innovation and industrial leadership in the global competition.
Read more: Intelligent façades generating electricity, heat and algae biomass
The Latest on: Intelligent facades
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Intelligent facades” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Intelligent facades
- Travis Kelce’s ‘Party Image’ Is Just a Facade, Suggests Patrick Mahomeson May 3, 2024 at 7:53 am
The star quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs discussed his teammate during an appearance on Logan Paul‘s Impaulsive podcast. Mahomes talks about his bond with the tight end, both professionally and ...
- The rise of ‘scar-chitecture’: Why so many new buildings are missing a chunk of their facadeon April 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Featuring dramatic cuts in the facade or portions of floor plates sliced away—a new kind of architectural detail is reshaping the exterior of high-rise towers on a global scale. Distinctive ...
- Gold Coast 3-bedroom home with ornate facade: $3.8Mon April 25, 2024 at 11:09 am
This three-bedroom, 5 ½-bathroom home in the Gold Coast has a Venetian-inspired facade and was redesigned in 2012. There are five stories, complete with a lobby-level apartment, a basement and a ...
- China's Huawei launches new software brand for intelligent drivingon April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm
BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) - Chinese tech company Huawei (HWT.UL) unveiled on Wednesday a new software brand for intelligent driving, marking its latest push to become a major player in the ...
- Weiss/Manfredi deploys sensitive yet surgical design thinking when renovating the Tampa Museum of Arton April 19, 2024 at 4:34 pm
Weiss/Manfredi deploys sensitive yet surgical design thinking when renovating the Tampa Museum of Art, where a second phase is underway.
- Facades: The Latest Architecture and Newson April 16, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Glass brick facades have emerged as a captivating architectural trend, blending the enduring elegance of glass with the robust strength of bricks. Glass bricks can as well be more thermally ...
- Revitalizing Your Home's Facade: Top Trends in Exterior Remodeling for 2024on April 9, 2024 at 7:49 am
Homeowners are looking for ways to incorporate these technologies in a way that is both aesthetic and practical, ensuring their home’s facade is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
- 6 things emotionally intelligent people never doon April 8, 2024 at 5:00 pm
However, it is just as important to know what not to do, and what situations to stay away from, in order to be emotionally intelligent. So here are 6 things that emotionally intelligent people ...
- GROUPWORK restores 8 Bleeding Heart Yard crafting a facade of misremembered detailson April 4, 2024 at 5:00 pm
GROUPWORK’s latest project in London’s Farringdon neighborhood reinstates the facades of eight historic buildings demolished in the 1960s. Located at 8 Bleeding Heart Yard, the office building ...
- Can you guess what the facades of Strip resorts have in common?on April 2, 2024 at 11:00 pm
from simulated red bricks and shiny metal to the facade of an old Tuscan villa. “I’ll bet 85 percent of the Strip is done with Dryvit,” said Kevin Norton, outside sales representative of ...
via Bing News