Practitioners’ View on the Implementation Potential of Adaptive Façades with focus on The Netherlands

The adaptivity of facades is increasingly recognized as an important functional feature to be integrated with the state-of–the-art building technology. The aim is thereby to control its reversible system states in real-time to adapt to current indoor and outdoor conditions. Concepts reported elsewhere integrate two or more functions related to structural integrity, ventilation, heating and cooling, solar protection, as well as energy generation and storage. Although advantages are perceived obvious, the number of realized case studies remains limited. Triggered by this observation, the authors of this contribution report research findings from a literature study and interviews with stakeholders in the field, including contractors, building consultants and architects. The three key-findings suggest that (1) the functions daylighting and energy generation/storage are most commonly integrated into facades or facade components characterized as being adaptive, (2) interviewees are divided on the implementation potential of most of the designs/concepts and (3) the aesthetics of the design, (investment) costs, durability and required maintenance are critical for a widespread market uptake. Herewith, this paper contributes new knowledge to the discussion related to finding the right level of system integration in building technology.