Integrating Double-Skin Façades and Mass Dampers for Structural Safety and Energy Efficiency

Abstract

AbstractA new integrated control system was recently proposed to combine double-skin facades and mass dampers in buildings to improve both building safety and energy efficiency. Double-skin facade systems protect and insulate buildings with two heavy glass layers between which air is allowed to flow for ventilation. By enabling movements in the outer facade skin, the authors proposed to (1) use them as mass dampers to reduce structural vibration and damage during earthquakes and wind storms and (2) adjust the gap size between the outer and inner skins to control the ventilation rate and improve energy efficiency. The synergy of the proposed system can lead to buildings that are structurally safe, energy efficient, and ultimately sustainable. In this paper, two structural control strategies—passive and active—are considered. The facade damper system was formulated first, and stochastic and historical earthquake responses were simulated. Then, the damper parameters (stiffness and damping coefficients) for p...