The Future of Responsive Facade for Multi-Storey Residential Buildings in Tropical Climates

The design study seeks to comprehend the principles and elements of a Responsive Facade and how they affect user comfort and energy efficiency for space cooling in multi-story residential buildings in extreme hot conditions. The research is based on precedent studies, occupant behavior, and a critical analysis of challenges in existing building facades, having a tropical hot and dry city in Brazil as case study. It identifies the different factors that interfere in the internal thermal conditions and building performance to build passive strategies that will optimize facade design proposal and energy saving. As a result, a facade was proposed with ceramic being the main material to make perforated and opaque panels that function as a second layer of shade and permeable envelope that moves in response to the sun or under occupant’s control. The impact on the internal conditions is seen in a reduction of 4oC of the internal resultant temperature, leading to a reduction of energy demand for space cooling of 44% .