The facade of the future was already there
16.10.2024
Smart façade design is underestimated as a climate solution, argues colleague Martijn Vyncke in an opinion piece he wrote for NAV.
Mechanical air cooling originated in 1902. Afterwards, the thermostat and fixed set point tailored to the ‘standard comfort level’ also became more established. This process was further accelerated after the integration of air conditioning in cars, buses and trains. Air conditioning has become so accessible that everyone has become accustomed to it.
Meanwhile, companies continue to search for new technologies to meet our ever-increasing comfort expectations. But blind reliance on technology creates energy scarcity in a world where mobility, AI, clouds and blockchain are also competing for green power.During our renovation assignments or expertises in various buildings, it has been noticed that solutions to comfort issues that originated in pre-electra times are easier to maintain in times when excess cannot be sustained. We were asked in 2021 to come up with a solution to a solar radiation problem while respecting heritage. The site and its surroundings were fully mapped and imported from the digital twin of Antwerp which is freely available. After double-checking some crucial dimensions, we went on to work.
An analysis via a 3D model and botanical information showed that the hornbeam already present did not come into leaf early enough to counteract the problem of light penetration on the murals in the room. Additional trees, in turn, were not a good idea and highly image-defining.
Solar control glazing or film was not compatible with the existing joinery and interior. These are also permanent measures that are not needed beyond the duration of the problem.
The answer was found in remnants of metal fixing points in the natural stone window frame and a French handbook on joinery published by the Académie Royal des Sciences (volume 1 - 1769).
Exterior blinds as a plug-in, hidden behind a wooden or metal lambrequin, have been an option since 1769. As a proof of concept, this can count.
255 years since the publication of the manual, the necessary updates and technological evolutions have been made, such as new materials for the louvres, UV-resistant cables, direct-current tube motors, Teflon-lubricated ball bearings or automation linked to adaptive thermostats. The basis remains that a façade element, whether or not linked to a system, is the first protection against annoying solar radiation. Manual systems require more user awareness. Automatic systems, in part, unburden occupants with energy as the pass currency.
Sun protection in the form of roller shutters, screens and curtains as thermal buffers are elements that have been present in our buildings for a long time and are subject to trends, style choices and tastes, but remain as a principle. And make no mistake: fixed ornaments, lintels and window frames are also subject to stylistic whims, but essentially play a functional role in drainage, light refraction and creating façade depth.
Since the rise of modernism, simplicity in architecture has been sought as a counter-movement against the excess of pure ornamentation. Think ‘building without eyebrows’ by Adolf Loos.
Form follows function, dixit Louis Sullivan. But not every ornament was a purely aesthetic choice. Finding out the functional purpose of historical elements and developing an appropriate and intelligent contemporary working through of them creates a design with historical individuality, more than a copy of the past.
In the built heritage, you can see a wealth of experimentation that may count as proof of concept.
When renovating the VAC Passionistenlaan in Kortrijk, Office KGDVS wanted to rid the existing concrete structure of all technical ducts and move them to the facade. This created a free floor plan. Via concrete discs in the form of balconies, a solution was found for overheating.
But despite the large canopies and deep daylights, how do you bring in enough daylight? For this, we looked at a 1938 project by Baas and Stockla. They integrated glass valleys into a concrete canopy to screen off a balcony while still making it translucent. The integration of glass in concrete was seen as a means of creating healthy indoor environments and saving on gas and electricity.
We eventually arrived at a result with round cut-outs in the concrete slab, filled in with walkable glass. This is both light and walkable.
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