A Redesign Procedure to Manufacture Adaptive Façades with Standard Products

Abstract

Although their potential for high environmental performance is largely accepted, adaptive façades have not yet become widespread in practice. Most of the current examples are developed by engineer-to-order design processes, as project-oriented, custom, and complex solutions. More simple and reliable solutions are needed to support the reuse of technical solutions between projects and increase the feasibility of adaptive façades. Therefore, this research aims to develop a procedure to design adaptive façades whose parts are based on engineered standard products with the least number of parts and layers. The research is initiated through the generation of concepts for designing adaptive façades to be manufactured using standard products. From several concepts, ‘redesigning dynamic adaptive façades’ has been selected for further investigation, as it pursues the goals for a solution determined for this research. A preliminary case study is conducted to redesign an adaptive façade to be manufactured with standard products. Its process steps are captured and analysed, and the steps that need improvement are revealed. To systematise and improve the captured redesign process, façade design and product design methodologies are analysed in the context of adaptive façade design. Redesign and reverse engineering processes used in product design are adapted and merged with façade and adaptive façade design processes, and a 5-phase adaptive façade redesign procedure is outlined. Each phase is developed based on mature tools and methods used in product and façade design. An iterative loop of development, application test, and review process is carried out for development of the process steps. Thus, a redesign procedure is generated by the combined application of DFMA and TRIZ in the synthesis of reverse engineering and redesign processes. Consequently, the application of the redesign procedure is demonstrated through a case study. The case study revealed that the procedure has the ability to generate a façade redesign that has a higher constructability index than the reference façade.Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, Vol. 6 No. 3 (2018): Special Issue FAÇADE 2018 – Adaptive!