Biomimetic inspired, natural ventilated facade A conceptual study

Abstract

In this paper, the authors elaborate an adaptable curtain-wall facade design concept that combines facade greening with biomimetic approaches. It begins with an overview of facade greening. Next, the paper takes a more in-depth look at prairie dog burrows and the modular growth of barnacle colonies as sources of biomimetic inspiration, including how they may be applied in technology and brought together with facade greening. The concept is expected to act contrary to the urban heat island effect by naturally cooling external building walls and thus reducing the energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with artificial cooling of buildings. This is considered important, as our cities are heating up more and more, resulting in increased energy demand. The promising information gained from lab experiments on scaled facade models, based on continuous wind-generated air circulation between the building's external wall and the facade, further initial calculations regarding natural convection, and the additional cooling effect of facade greening, can be considered a sound basis for future developments and discussions.