Dynamic transparency in design: the revival of environmental sustainability in design elements of Iraqi buildings

Abstract

Buildings in Iraqi cities such as Baghdad and Mosul suffer from several problems such as the application of new materials in modern buildings that changed not just the identity of architectural heritage but also the quality of thermal comfort in façade design. This, unfortunately, adds to the damage regarding environmental sustainability and cultural values away from adaptable solutions to improve energy efficiency in building performance. One of the measures that must be taken to correctly plan in harmony with the Iraqi cities is to ensure the environmental control as part of the overall performance of building façade to maintain an active, healthy indoor environment while preserving the propriety of facade design elements, screen pattern, order and details. Therefore, there are many sustainable trends that vary in their usefulness such as biomimetics examples inspired from natural models in which form and function dictate one another. This is in order to maintain the integrated design relation between transparency, function, and elegance in the overall performance of façade elements. The research question is, how important is the choice of material in developing a sustainable element that revives environmental control while preserving the identity and values of façade design?The main goal of the research study is to identify the role of advanced technologies and the choice of smart glazing materials to revive the quality of thermal comfort in a way that not just sustains the identity of facade elements socially and culturally, but also to be responsive to the changes of climate conditions. Therefore, this research utilizes more than one technological tool such as Revit as a BIM tool with the application of smart dynamic materials such as Photovoltaics and Electrochromic in order to restore part of the design expression and enhance the building performance through its elements in contemporary façade design and its details. In this work, it can be seen that applying a set of technological tools allows to clearly illustrate the impact of smart dynamic materials to improve the quality of design and comfort while protecting the identity of contemporary façade elements when compared to static or traditional materials, aesthetically, and functionally.