Modelling the environmental performance of 3D-printed translucent façades on a building scale

The building sector faces significant pressure to achieve decarbonisation, necessitating the development of energy-efficient building components that have a minimal environmental impact. Polymer 3D-printing offers potential for the fabrication of translucent façade components that can be customised based on climate conditions, thereby addressing this issue effectively. This research focuses on evaluating the environmental performance of these systems on a building scale. Through advanced modelling techniques, the study aims to investigate their potential in terms of energy demand, operational carbon emissions, daylight performance, and thermal comfort. To validate the accuracy of these models, they are applied to two climate-specific case studies: Singapore and Switzerland. Their potential is refined through a climate-specific iterative learning process of the façade’s angle-dependent thermo-optical properties. Despite its time and computational requirements, the results demonstrated the modelling procedure’s comprehensive assessment capabilities. Particularly, 3D-printed translucent façades demonstrate significant potential in climates with variable solar angles throughout the year, such as temperate climates. Conversely, in tropical climates, the customisation of angle-dependent thermo-optical properties is unnecessary, and the performance of such systems is comparable to that of a standard glazing system. Through these insights, this research contributes to the advancement of sustainable building practices and provides valuable guidance for the evaluation of the environmental performance of 3D-printed translucent façades.