Biomimetic building facades demonstrate potential to reduce energy consumption for different building typologies in different climate zones.

Matthew Webb

doi:10.1007/s10098-021-02183-z

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions leading to anthropogenic global warming continue to be a major issue for societies worldwide. A major opportunity to reduce emissions is to improve building construction, and in particular the effectiveness of building envelope, which leads to a decrease in operational energy consumption. Improving the performance of a building's thermal envelope can substantially reduce energy consumption from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning while maintaining occupant comfort. In previous work, a computational model of a biomimetic building façade design was found to be effective in temperate climates in an office context. Through a case study example based on animal fur and blood perfusion, this paper tests the hypothesis that biomimetic building facades have a broader application in different building typologies across a range of climate zones. Using bioinspiration for innovation opens new ideas and pathways for technological development that traditional engineering design does not provide. This study exemplifies the process in a building façade, integrating a new form of insulation, heating and cooling. Methods of mathematical modelling and digital simulation methods were used to test the energy reduction potential of the biomimetic façade was tested in a set of operational applications (office, school, and aged care) and across different climate zones (tropical, desert, temperate, and cool continental). Results indicated that the biomimetic façade has potential to reduce energy consumption for all building applications, with the greatest benefit shown in residential aged care (67.1% reduction). Similarly, the biomimetic building façade showed potential to reduce operational services energy consumption in all climate zones, with the greatest energy reductions achieved in the tropical (55.4% reduction) and humid continental climates (55.1% reduction). Through these results the hypothesis was confirmed suggesting that facades engineered to mimic biological functions and processes can improve substantially decrease building operational energy consumption and can be applied in different building classifications and different climate zones. These results would significantly decrease operational greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of a building and provide substantial savings in energy bills. Such facades can contribute to the further reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in a broad range of contexts in the built environment and other areas of technology and design. The flexibility and adaptability of biomimetic facades exemplify how biological strategies and characteristics can augment and improve performance in different environments, since the organisms that inspire innovation are already well-adapted to the conditions on earth. This study also exemplified a method by which other biomimetic building envelope features may be assessed. Further work is suggested to assess economic viability and constructability of the proposed facades.Graphic abstract

Highlights

There is currently an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to prevent the worst effects of climate change
A model was constructed for a conventional static façade composed of lightweight construction materials to act as a baseline for comparison to the biomimetic designs in terms of heat transfer and annual energy performance
Biomimicry—“innovation inspired by nature”—has been adopted in multiple technological and engineering fields as a framework for innovation and improvement

Summary

Introduction

There is currently an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to prevent the worst effects of climate change. In 2018, the International Panel on Climate Change released a special report which updated the probable consequences of global warming and stated that future climate-related risks are greater if warming exceeds 1.5 °C (Hoegh-Guldberg 2018). While it is acknowledged that renewable energy sources are crucial to reaching the 1.5 °C target, the IPPC reported indicated that reducing demand in end use sectors would be important in mitigation strategies— with buildings being a substantial energy consumer. Buildings consume a large proportion of the energy required for human activity, and overall account for approximately 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (Residential and Commercial Emissions in the United States 2017; Australian Energy Update 2020; Lucon 2014)

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Conclusion