Building Energy Performance Assessment Based on a Bio-Inspired Kinetic Shading Devices

Abstract

As part of the energy transition and climate change adaptation, buildings are increasingly required to interact dynamically with their environment to reduce energy consumption and mitigate environmental impacts. In this context, kinetic shading systems represent a promising solution, particularly those inspired by the adaptive mechanisms of plants responding to environmental stimuli, within a biomimetic design framework. This study follows such an approach by evaluating the performance of a proposed biomimetic kinetic shading system applied to a residential building located in Guelma, Algeria. A dual methodological framework was adopted, combining a problem-driven biomimetic approach with parametric simulation techniques. Three building orientations were assessed across five configurations of the shading system. The findings reveal that the biomimetic kinetic system effectively mitigates solar gains, reducing them by up to 73% during the summer, which results in a 46.6% decrease in cooling energy demand. In the winter, the system enhances solar gains by 16%, leading to a 31.9% reduction in heating requirements. These results underscore the potential of this approach to improve building energy performance while advancing innovative and sustainable passive design strategies.