Environmental Assessment for Bio-Inspired Responsive Facades

FRAMEWORK FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONALIZED RESPONSIVE BUILDING ENVELOPES (RP 5.1 IN RTG BIOBUILD)

Buildings account for around 30% of Germany's total energy consumption. External shading can reduce building energy use by 19-29%, yet conventional systems such as blinds or louvres are mechanically complex, prone to failure, and poorly suited to complex building geometries.

RTG BioBuild addresses this by translating compliant plant movements, such as those seen in pine cones and aquatic plants, into responsive building components that achieve movement through the elastic deformation of the material itself, without motors or mechanical components. RTG BioBuild develops novel bio-based material systems across five interdisciplinary research areas spanning bio-inspiration, new materials, scalability, complex shape changes, and architectural integration.

This project (RP 5.1) develops an environmental assessment framework to inform and guide RTG BioBuild towards sustainable development. Through environmental simulation, it evaluates the performance and efficiency of both actively and passively controlled responsive shading components, assessing the influence of different control strategies on daylight availability, solar heat gain, and overall energy performance across varying climatic conditions. Life Cycle Assessment methods evaluate the environmental footprint of novel bio-based material systems developed within the RTG, benchmarking them against conventional fossil-based alternatives to support the development of lower carbon responsive facade solutions. Results are aligned with EU and German regulatory requirements, providing the quantitative evidence base the building sector increasingly needs to demonstrate whole-life environmental performance.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers
Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), University of Stuttgart

RESEARCHER(S)
Katherine Young, ITKE
Edith Anahi Gonzalez San Martin, ITKE

PARTNER(S)
livMatS Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg

FUNDING
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Graduiertenkolleg GRK 3123/1