Design and Computational Modelling for a Shape Memory Alloy-based Adaptronic Architecture

Abstract

In the EU, the heating and cooling of buildings consumes 14% of all energy. This is a major consumer for one type of activity, and it is compounded by the fact that 75% of it is sourced from fossil fuels. The thoughtful design of facades play a major role in the reduction of heating and cooling energy loads, and the reduction of both necessitates some form of adaptiveness between the cold season and the hot season.
This thesis investigates a subset of adaptiveness called adaptronic. It has been defined as “the integration of actuators, sensors and controls with a material or structural component“, and it means that a device would be able to sense its surroundings and thoughtfully respond to it in a designed way, using the properties of its materials. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) were investigated to achieve adaptronic architecture, with the idea of designing a courtyard atrium that is able to sense the temperature of the outside and thereby open up in hot weather. Such a seasonal atrium could in theory result in a 21-30% heating energy saving for houses in Amsterdam, due to the Greenhouse Effect in the winter.
The aim of the thesis is therefore to investigate and design the adaptronic ability of an auto-responsive façade module, with regards to the structural and detailing aspects. Literature studies were carried out on the material behaviour and reference projects, which appreciated the complexity of the behaviour and the remoteness of the material towards designers with no specialist knowledge. A computational tool was produced in Grasshopper, a plug-in of Rhino 3D, to allow a designer with no specialist knowledge to track and predict the movement of an SMA structure as the temperature changes. The tool is now available online with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
Thereafter, a concept design was made followed by experiments and explorations with prototypes to produce and test an “engine” that could deliver the actuation for the adaptronic atrium. The prototype was able to successfully actuate a 61.3 degree rotation when electrically heated, and then return to the rest position when cooled. The prototype was also able to be actuated by the environment with the help of a constructed solar-heated chamber, under zero-stress conditions.
A final design was made for an adaptronic façade module, composed of a custom-made adaptronic engine that is fitted onto a set of 4 standard pivot-window profiles to animate them. The engine features an environmentally powered heat chamber which provides a pattern of temperature to the SMA piece. The entire module is prefabricated, so that the required precision of the hardware can be attained. In a future study, the for saving HVAC loads as a result of the modules can be quantified and thereafter the design can be optimized.
The thesis hopes to lay the foundation for both adaptronics and architecture animated by SMAs. Both show a promising future towards a smart-materials based adaptiveness for sustainable progress.