As a hot summer approaches and experts continue to figure out the most affordable and environmentally-friendly ways to cool buildings, German researchers have invented a new facade to automatically cool and heat buildings.
In a partnership between Germany’s universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg, scientists embarked on a nearly decade-long research project to best understand how to regulate solar thermal energy in buildings.
The result is the FlectoLine facade, a 83.5-square-meter shade system that consists of 101 “flaps” made from fiber-reinforced plastic laminates.
Each flap has flexible hinges and can bend elastically with the help of compressed air. In the cold weather, the flaps fold together to ensure that as much heat and light as possible can penetrate the interior of the building. In hot weather, the flaps unfold to provide shade.
Best of all, this happens automatically. The system’s controller uses machine learning to predict optimal settings for different kinds of weather, and solar modules have been installed to ensure this all happens with clean energy.
“In light of the challenges posed by climate change, architecture must take new directions,” said University of Stuttgart researcher Edith A. Gonzalez. “With FlectoLine, we have successfully demonstrated how much potential adaptive facades hold in this regard.”
Right now, a prototype of the FlectoLine is installed at the University of Freiburg’s Botanical Garden.
It’s a fitting location, given that the researchers were inspired by two biological mechanisms to create the shade system: the waterwheel plant and the striped bug.
“The waterwheel plant is a carnivorous plant that can close its traps to catch small animals such as water fleas. We were inspired by this mechanism,” Matthias Ridder, a research associate at the University of Stuttgart said in a statement.
“The striped bug provided insights into the material structure of the shading elements: by varying stiffness across different wing areas, it can precisely deform its wings to perform highly accurate movements — just like the shading elements of FlectoLine.”
The waterwheel plant — or the Aldrovanda vesiculosa — is an endangered species, declining over the last century with only 50 confirmed populations worldwide in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In the eastern United States, however, invasive populations of the plant do exist.
While its home in nature might be more challenging to nail down, Germany’s researchers hope the waterwheel plant-inspired shade system will last for at least 15 years.
In fact, the FlectoLine includes a protective outer layer that provides excellent weather resistance, making it a durable addition to building exteriors.
The researchers also subjected the invention to 20,000 test cycles, including weathering, fire, and wind tests, ensuring that it would remain stable for at least 15 years.
Their commitment has paid off. Earlier this month, the researchers were honored with the MVV Foundation for the Future prize at the Award for Bio-Inspired Innovations Baden-Württemberg.
“Reimagining façades as active responsive components, presents opportunities to enhance building performance and foster innovative architecture that reduces energy consumption and carbon footprints,” the researchers shared on their website.
“[FlectoLine’s] ability to regulate solar gain, ventilation, and thermal performance positions them as a critical component in reducing energy demands and supporting sustainable urban development.”
Header image courtesy of ITKE/ITFT Universität Stuttgart
