A Design Framework and a Digital Toolset Supporting the Early-Stage Explorations of Responsive Kinetic Building Skin Concepts

Abstract

In this paper we present the first phase of our research on the development of a framework for early-stage responsive kinetic building skin design. The aims of this study were: to formulate a methodological and instrumental basis for the construction of the framework, to conduct an initial pre-assessment of its features, and finally to provide the first example of how the framework could be applied in practice. Importantly, at this point our goal was not yet to indicate the framework's effectiveness, but rather focus on formulating its foundations. A pilot design experiment, aimed at the probing of the framework's characteristics, suggests the emergence of its two noteworthy features. Firstly, it allows to freely but at the same time also systematically explore six design aspects of responsive architecture: form, functionality, performance, kinetic behaviors, system mechanics and responsiveness. Secondly, it helps to explore these six aspects using diverse means: parametric models, digital simulations, computational analyses, physical models and interactive prototypes. These features suggest that the framework could be a valid and useful means of supporting designers in the complex task of creating architectural concepts of responsive kinetic structures.