4D Adaptive Shading

In building operation, lighting and ambient temperature are key metrics for occupant comfort and are therefore controlled to meet the occupants’ needs. Adaptive shading systems that respond to the outdoor conditions can be used to balance natural light and thermal comfort inside of buildings. Successful implementations of such systems reduce the energy consumption caused by artificial lighting and air conditioning in comparison to static shading devices.

State-of-the-art adaptive shading systems are equipped with sensors and motors to achieve their environment-responsive behavior. Common problems include high maintenance costs and downtime caused by the electronic control unit. The research project sets out to develop a 4D adaptive shading system based on active materials, thus eliminating the necessity for heavy mechanical parts and complex control electronics. A particular challenge of this task is the adjustment of the shading perfomance to ensure occupant satisfaction.