ABSTRACT
A great challenge that contemporary sustainable architecture has to face is to optimize natural resources and minimize energy consumption. Such a goal calls for the design of flexible and adaptive building envelopes able to react dynamically based on the evolution of the external climatic and environmental conditions. The present work is focused on the design of active solar façade screens based on tensegrity units that are markedly lightweight and are easily integrated with solar panels and/or sound-proof panels. These units are controlled by tensioning and releasing appropriate cables of the structure and are used to direct the solar panels towards the sun. A mechanical study on the use of tensegrity systems for the design of energy efficient sunscreens inspired by the dynamic solar façades of the Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi is presented. The adaptive architecture of the Al Bahar tower façade is reinterpreted through a tensegrity approach that can change its shape by reacting to the surrounding environment; it is a modern and cost-effective reinterpretation of traditional “mashrabiya” shading systems.
