Cover Story
A green façade project (Studio Meraki)
materials will be booted entirely out and be replaced by selfrenewing materials like steel, brick, and aluminium, vows Ar. Dhawan. There is an overwhelming need for façades to conserve energy, and in the next fifty years, it can be assumed that the façade will be completely carbon neutral. Façades have also taken up a much more technological route. In future, they can maintain the internal homeostasis of the building operated through remote control or an app. “We are already witnessing how AI and IoT have touched almost every aspect of our lives. Energy efficiency and sustainability are the key factors driving façade design and, in the future, this is going to be more and more driven by AI. AI-controlled façade materials and systems will change the way we experience and interact with buildings,” say Ar. Nishanth & Ar. Veda. The façade, integrated with IoT, will start to become an extensive data collection centre, which can be used for the more efficient functioning of the complete built environment. For a simple example, a façade that can
change itself based on the weather conditions outside & sense the occupant load inside can start talking to the automated shading device and the HVAC system to achieve maximum daylight penetration with minimal heat gain and ensure efficient cooling of the built space. The possibilities are endless. Architects from Katerra Design also add that use of recycled materials and biodegradability will start becoming important factors. Ar. V Singal believes that kinetic façades can become a common practice within the next 50 years. The flexibility it provides in sustainable design, being aesthetically rich, is very promising. “We need to make the technology more viable in terms of availability and affordability. A kinetic façade enables us to control solar heat gain, daylight, and ventilation, regardless of the coordinates of the site or the season. Once designed and installed, the kinetic façade will adjust with the help of technology. And with the growing
age of artificial intelligence, the horizon of possibilities has widened even more,” he is hopeful. According to Ar. RK Gulati, integrated approach to building façades with integrated building systems is the way ahead, considering conscious energy usage and use of materials having least ecological impact. We also should look at providing improved sustainability goals for the mass consumers as well. The use of appropriate material and technology combined with passive systems has to be made mainstream. For example, use solar panels to provide shading and/or transparent solar panels as glazing. Increased use of vertical landscape features to moderate the microclimate is another method to improve overall reduction in energy use. Ar. RK Gulati expects that full glass façades will no longer be representative of ‘global’ and ‘high-tech’ but is symbolises a ‘high-waste’ culture as it increases
3D view of a project – Cityspace 82 Architects
WFM | JAN - FEB 2022
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