Switchable Façade Technology in Environmental Design

The topic is focused on the conception of the building envelope considered not only as a protecting barrier against atmospheric agents, but rather as an open membrane, permeable, selective and in active interaction with the climatic external factors, so as to better reply to the exigencies of comfort in build spaces and to the questions imposed by a “sustainable development”. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the research tries to optimise the integration between the architectural, physical and environmental dimensions, in the field of switchable façade technologies including transparent innovating materials. In fact, with novel daylight components in the building envelope, it is possible to improve both the dailight quantity and quality in the rooms and to control the solar energy transmittance, either with a passive or active product (chromogenic materials), and/or with selective properties with respect to the different parts of the solar spectrum (daylight versus solar heat). The overall objective is to develop an “holistic”, relevant, reliable, user-oriented and comprehensive knowledge basis, including detailed daylight product information, on the application of systems who may allow to obtain effective advantages under the different points of view considered (lighting, energetic, thermal aspects and expressive value).