Towards Advanced Active Façades

In Switzerland, as in many European countries, new energy directives focus on decreasing the carbon footprint of buildings by promoting passive and active energy strategies and systems. Among the latter, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), which function both as envelope materials and electricity producers, are rapidly improving their performance. However, their potential remains largely unrealized due to diverse barriers. Among them, the poor expressive qualities of many BIPV products are preventing architects from using these systems. In reaction, and with the goal of bridging the gap between technology and designers, a new façade concept has been developed integrating BIPV expressive issues. This is the goal of the Advanced Active Façades (AAF) concept, which results from analyzing the evolution of façade requirements and solutions over time. The AAF combines passive and active façade design strategies.