Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Dynamic façades can be used as architectural tools to reduce heat gain in a building. This kinetic design reforms energy efficiency and can improve user comfort. Dynamic façades change their form and appearance in response to the environment. They can reduce stress on heating and cooling systems by mitigating the amount of solar radiation a building receives. Additionally, this architectural approach can control internal heating and cooling loads by managing the intake of sunlight. This study investigates a dynamic façade as an architectural tool to substantially reduce the heat gain of the Engineering Research Building on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington. In the parametric design tool, Grasshopper, the modeled façade responds to a stimulus representative of the Sun. Heat gain, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency are analyzed in the Honeybee extension. The results yield that dynamic façades are effective in reducing heat gain in buildings and increasing thermal comfort. This study concludes that dynamic façades are both successful and energy-efficient. Dynamic façades can be made more affordable with simple mechanisms.
Disciplines
Architectural Technology | Architecture | Environmental Design
Publication Date
Fall 11-2025
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
Atefe Makhmalbaf
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Danso, Marie Danielle, "Retrofitting Through the Facade: An Integrated Architectural Retrofit Assesment" (2025). 2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects-Archive. 35.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_fall2025/35