Intelligent Envelopes for High-Performance Buildings

Book excerpt: This book presents a series of significant methods and examples for the design of sustainable intelligent facades in a variety of contexts. Emphasis is placed on how intelligence has been applied for successful energy-saving efforts in the planning of building envelopes. Readers will find essential information on the core principles involved in designing, calculating and organizing intelligent facades according to the need for a new or retrofitted building. Not only are different materials and technologies considered, but also efficient ways to combine them according to user needs and other project-specific constraints. Illustrations, tables and graphs accompany the text, clarifying the concepts discussed. Architects, facade consultants and all those interested in and energy-saving measures and improved indoor comfort will find this book useful not only as an introduction to the subject but also as a guide to achieving more responsive building methods.