Flexible Transparency With Smart Materials

Abstract

Owing to the rapid development of construction materials in building industry, a tendency towards smart and light design solutions using modern architectural principles is growing noticeably. The ultra-thin glass is a relatively new material which could be replaced with the thicker glasses in traditional windows to create a new concept for the building. Its promising prospects due to its low weight and its ability to be bent could develop a novel adaptive glass panel concept as a breathing skin in the building. Adaption can be implemented using smart materials capable of inherently sensing and responding to environmental changes with a type of actuation action. In this research study, the advancements of smart material technologies have been elaborated, together with the feasibility of these materials in adaptive architecture aspect. In the end, a novel adaptive glass panel concept has been offered by means of shape-memory alloy (SMA) cables in order to create a breathing skin for façade. The panel has been placed as an inner and outer skin in the selected case study. Its validation has been assessed through Finite-element numerical studies and experimental tests. The structural efficiency of the panel is evaluated by analyzing several glass laminate configurations under bending for inside and outside the situation and taking into account the effects of ordinary wind pressures for the outside condition. Based on the current investigation, it is expected that valuable design proposals can be derived for this novel design concept.