Alotaibi, J Archit Eng Tech 2015, 4:3

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ISSN: 2168-9717

Research Article Open Access

The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy Performance in

Buildings
Fahad Alotaibi1,2*
1
Department of Architectural Studies, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2
College of Architecture and Design, University of Qassim, Almulyda, Saudi Arabia

Abstract
The building envelope plays a crucial role in saving or consuming energy, depending on the type of the envelope
and design. Architects and engineers need to consider many issues when working with envelope designs, including
environmental issues, aesthetic appearance, occupant comfort, and view; these aspects make the envelope a
multifunctional component, thus the integration approach is the optimal method to address envelope design. In the
last decade we have witnessed the inclusion of the kinetic envelope in many typologies of buildings. Many scholars
believe the kinetic envelope improves the environmental performance of the building. The purpose of this paper is
to review the current practice and development of the kinetic envelope and to investigate its role in the improvement
of energy performance in buildings.

Keywords: Kinetic envelopes; Green architecture; Facades; Energy the capability to adapt to change through kinetics into reversible,
performance; Responsive architecture; Shading device deformable, incremental, and mobile modes.

Introduction Cedric Price asks, “What if a building or space could be constantly

generated or regenerated?” [6]. He argues for the new role of
There has been an interest in interactive, responsive, and intelligent architecture after the failure of modern architecture in the 1960s.
architecture, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s [1-3]. The new paradigm
Price is considered one of the earliest architects to bring this discourse
shift in architecture coincides with advancements in computer science,
into architecture when he designed the Fun Palace in 1961. He was
cybernetics, and building technology that have altered the architecture
influenced by the work of Gordon Pask and his theory of conversation.
from a static form to a more kinetic and dynamic form. The origin
of the word kinetic is Greek, pertaining to, or caused by motion During the same time period seminal works paved the way for the
[4], thus the main aspect is the motion and integration within the kinetic concept of architecture, such as Yona Friedman’s “Mobile
context of the surrounding environment or occupant. The Children's Architecture Manifesto” (1956), and the beginning of the Archigram
Museum of Pittsburgh is a hands-on interactive children's museum in and the great design of the Plug-in city in 1967, and the seminal book
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood The Architecture Machine by Nicholas Negroponte, published in 1970.
in Pittsburgh's North side (Figure 1).

Fraser states: how can architecture become part of an increasingly

responsive and changing social environment characterized by digital
technology, global nomadism and ubiquitous consumption? Is it
possible for buildings themselves to move and adapt in relation to
natural or man-made parameters, and if so, how does this improve
their performance or relevance? (Figure 2).
In 1970, Zuk W [5] defined kinetic architecture as a field of
architecture in which building components, or whole buildings, have

Figure 2: Fun palace-Cedric price.

*Corresponding author: Fahad Alotaibi, Department of Architectural Studies,

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, College of Architecture and
Design, University of Qassim, Almulyda, Saudi Arabia Tel: 1-403 220-660; E-mail:
falotaib@ucalgary.ca

Received July 12, 2015; Accepted August 12, 2015; Published August 22, 2015

Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy

Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
9717.1000149

Copyright: © 2015 Alotaibi F. This is an open-access article distributed under the

terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
Figure 1: Pittsburgh children museum. use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and
source are credited.

J Archit Eng Tech

ISSN: 2168-9717 JAET, an open access journal Volume 4 • Issue 3 • 1000149
Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
9717.1000149

Page 2 of 5

Why We Need a Kinetic Façade?

The architecture from the last decade has changed to transformable,
dynamic, interactive objects to achieve numerous goals, including
environmental considerations, human considerations, social
interaction, and sense of place. Micheal Fox states, “The primary goal of
intelligent kinetic systems should be to act as a moderator responding
to changes between human needs and environmental conditions [7,8].”
That will help to achieve many goals, toward a high efficient building,
because the building will be more flexible to adapt its envelop for the
external weather, which mainly considered in a sun glare and a direct
heat gain, that will exemplified in the case studies in this paper. The
façade is the most important protection structure from the harsh
weather, in the outer environment, thus the advanced of this system
will help to change from the traditional role as a filter to more active
role, which includes in some cases the integration of photovoltaic cells,
to generate energy rather than just save energy.

The Role of Kinetic Façade to Improve Environmental

Performance
In recent years the role of the kinetic façade as an environmental
mediator increased in many buildings; the TIC building in Barcelona
and the Al Bahar Towers in the United Arab Emirates are clear examples Figure 3: Plug-in city.
for the phenomenon. The design for kinetic façades is not restricted to
aesthetic appearance, but goes beyond to the growing awareness of the Location Abu Dhabi Building Used Office
effects of building emissions on the environment. Status Complete Structural Style -
Construction Start 2012 Architectural Style Responsive Architecture
Hoberman states: adaptive systems combine the best of existing
Construction End - Material Steel/Concrete
strategies: low energy use and control over building environments. For
Floors 25 Height 150 meter
instance, a building’s energy requirements can be considerably lowered
Floors Area 56,000 m2 Elevator Count 9
if its design can adapt to diurnal fluctuations in temperature. An
adaptive system that is modulated to control the volume and direction Table 1: Case study 1.
of heat flow in response to external and internal conditions can enhance Project description
comfort and energy performance [9]. Many studies [10,11] suggest that
the role of the kinetic façade to improve the energy performance of The main challenge faced by architects in cities like Abu Dhabi (hot
climate) is how to counter high solar exposure, how to treat this amount
buildings could be significant. Kensek and Hansanuwat found that
of solar radiation [14], which is responsible for increasing energy
kinetic façade systems can decrease environmental impacts and help
consumption. The novel design of the Al Bahar Towers addresses
to reduce reliance on mechanical systems for the building’s energy.
the solar exposure issue, making it a unique project for the area. In
Moreover, the façade helps to generate power, particularly electricity, comparison, traditional towers in the area (Arabic Gulf Countries) are
with building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV). In the study rarely designed with any consideration of the environment and focus
they conduct a simulation performance for a prototype façade kinetic mainly on aesthetic and transparency issues (Figure 4).
system. The results indicate that these kinetic façade systems can reduce
energy consumption by approximately 30% more than the non-shade The Al Bahar Towers are more responsive to the environment
and have an innovative and unusual solution for the typology of the
system for both heating and cooling. Another study [12] demonstrates
buildings. In addition the buildings engage with the identity of the
the potential of kinetic façade systems to provide appropriate daylight
place; the shading system is inspired by the Mashrabiya, a traditional
levels by using light-deflection techniques in intelligent kinetic façades
latticework shading-system in the Arab countries. The towers were
to improve indoor lighting. The study also shows that kinetic façades designed by the London-based firm Aedas, known for their creativity
have an outstanding ability to enhance the lumen performance of the and innovative design approach.
indoor environment over conventional façades. One study, however,
reviewed the current practice of kinetic envelopes and claimed that Al Bahr Towers is an award-winning development in the emirate of
current strategies led to large energy savings in buildings for indoor Abu Dhabi consisting of two 29-storey, 145m–high towers. It is located
comfort, visual qualities, and occupant interaction [13]. Occupant at the intersection of Al Saada and Al Salam Street in Abu Dhabi City,
the capital of the United Arab Emirates, at the eastern entrance. One
interaction is an important factor, because the kinetic façade promises
tower houses the new headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Investment
to boost occupant satisfaction, leading to increased work productivity.
Council (ADIC), an investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi.
On the other hand the kinetic façade systems have high initial costs and The other serves as the head office of Al Hilal Bank.
need constant maintenance (Figure 3).
Performance features
Case Study 1
The towers are well known for their high performance design,
Case study 1 was explained at Table1. with about 50% reduction in energy consumption [8]; this is a large

J Archit Eng Tech

ISSN: 2168-9717 JAET, an open access journal Volume 4 • Issue 3 • 1000149
Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
9717.1000149

Page 3 of 5

Project description
Council House 2 (CH2) is an office building in Melbourne, Australia
that features a kinetic façade with a great sustainability approach. The
building comprises numerous sustainable strategies, including wind
turbines on the roof, chilled ceiling, double skin façade, and timber
shutters that work as a kinetic device to protect occupants from direct
sun by tracking the sun’s path in summer and providing full shading
for the indoor environment. The building is the first office building to
get six Green Star rating (GBC of Australia) [17]. The kinetic façade
(operable timber shutters) improves the building’s performance, and
based on a post-occupancy report [18] the staff productivity increased
by 10.9%. In addition, 80% of the occupants appreciate the building’s
indoor environment. Improvement of occupant well-being was an
important goal in the achievement of sustainability, in addition to
energy saving and reducing the environmental impact [19] (Figure 8).
Council House 2 (also known as CH2), is an office building located
at 240 Little Collins Street in the CBD, in Melbourne, Australia.
It is occupied by the City of Melbourne council, and in April 2005,
became the first purpose-built office building in Australia to achieve
a maximum Six Green Star rating, certified by the Green Building
Figure 4: Sketch for the envelope idea. Council of Australia. CH2 officially opened in August 2006.
Performance features
The building achieved remarkable results in environmental

Figure 5: Al Bahar Towers. Figure 6: Parametric Mashrabiya Model.

amount of energy savings, particularly for tall buildings. The World

Trade Center in Bahrain, which is classified as the same region type,
achieved a 14% reduction in energy by introducing wind turbines
[15]. How this goal was achievable? Moreover what the main role for
kinetic façade to create a great environmental performance for this
project .The main aspect of the Al Bahar Towers is the reinvention of
the traditional Mashrabiya. With advanced technology, the mechanism
of the triangular shading panels is based on a linear actuator’s response
to the sun’s movement to provide solar and glare protection, and
Figure 7: Thye Mashrabia system of operation.
maintain privacy. Antony Wood states, “Many believe that the façade is
the real battleground in the fight for better building sustainability [16].
Al Bahar could thus be considered the advanced guard in that fights Location Melbourne Building Uses Office
[17].” To summarize, this kinetic façade system reduces solar gain, Status complete Structural Style
improves indoor lighting, increases occupant comfort, and reduces Construction Architectural Green
energy consumption by 50% and CO2 emissions by 1,750 tonnes per Start 2004 Style Architecture
year (Figures 5-7). Construction End 2006 Materials Concrete
Floors 10 Heights 388 meter
Case Study 2
Floors Area 12,536 m² Elevator Count -
Case study 2 was explained at Table 2. Table 2: Case study 2.

J Archit Eng Tech

ISSN: 2168-9717 JAET, an open access journal Volume 4 • Issue 3 • 1000149
Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
9717.1000149

Page 4 of 5

performance, with an 85% reduction in electricity consumption,

lower emissions at just 13%. The façade was creatively designed with a
unique solution for each direction of the building envelope; all of which
combine to provide 80% of the occupants with a view. The kinetic
system applied to the western façade exceeds 95% of shading during
the day and provides natural ventilation at night by automatically
opening the windows and allowing the night air to cool the building.
The mechanism of the western façade works on an automatic actuation
system to track the sun’s position and provide shading in the afternoon
(Figures 8-10).

Case Study 3
Figure 10: The kinetic system applied to the Western façade.
Case study 3 was explained at Table 3.

Project description
Location Essen-Germany Building Uses Office
The Q1 Headquarters Building, outside of Essen, Germany is Status complete Structural Style
Construction Architectural Green
Start 2004 Style Architecture
Construction End 2010 Materials Concrete
Floors 10 Heights 50 meter
Floors Area 170,000 m² Elevator Count -

Table 3: Case study 3.

Figure 8: Council House 2 (CH2), main façade.

Figure 11: The Q1 Headquarters Building main façade.

another example of a well-designed façade that consists of an advanced

kinetic system to achieve a high level in German sustainability
standards. The main character of the building is the sun shading
system, which works with the sun’s path, and creates a unique identity
for the building. The designer, Jürgen Steffens says, “When you look at
the building in the evening when the sun is going down,it is absolutely
amazing to see what the stainless steel does with this red light.” The
complex façade system made it possible to reduce the HVAC load on
the building by maximizing the amount of natural air ventilation and
Figure 9: Sketch shows the mechanism of façade.
by minimizing glare and direct heating gain (Figures 11 and 12).

J Archit Eng Tech

ISSN: 2168-9717 JAET, an open access journal Volume 4 • Issue 3 • 1000149
Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
9717.1000149

Page 5 of 5

proliferation of this type of system. In addition, the results in energy

saving is considerable.
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16. http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Sustainability/CH2/aboutch2/Pages/
shapes - triangular, square, and trapezoid. All these element automats, AboutCH2.aspx
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screen for natural light or to close it completely to protect building
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Conclusion
This paper focuses on the environmental performance of kinetic
façades in buildings by reviewing current practices. The process
involved an investigation of literature studies that conducted research
to evaluate the performance of kinetic façade systems from numerous
perspectives.
The kinetic façade proves to be an effective approach to designing a
building envelope, as shown by figures of reduced energy consumption,
making the kinetic façade an optimal method to address harsh climates,
particularly in the case of sun shading, and to provide convenient
natural lighting and fresh air. Citation: Alotaibi F (2015) The Role of Kinetic Envelopes to Improve Energy
Performance in Buildings. J Archit Eng Tech 4: 149. doi:10.4172/2168-
The case studies examined in this paper are evidence of the 9717.1000149

J Archit Eng Tech

ISSN: 2168-9717 JAET, an open access journal Volume 4 • Issue 3 • 1000149