Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling
The overheating of buildings and their need for mechanical cooling is a growing issue as a result of climate change. The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of surface texture on heat loss capabilities of concrete panels through evaporative cooling. Organisms maintain their body temperat...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Biomimetics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/6/2/24 |
| _version_ | 1827696481682849792 |
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| author | Megan Peeks Lidia Badarnah |
| author_facet | Megan Peeks Lidia Badarnah |
| author_sort | Megan Peeks |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The overheating of buildings and their need for mechanical cooling is a growing issue as a result of climate change. The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of surface texture on heat loss capabilities of concrete panels through evaporative cooling. Organisms maintain their body temperature in very narrow ranges in order to survive, where they employ morphological and behavioral means to complement physiological strategies for adaptation. This research follows a biomimetic approach to develop a design solution. The skin morphology of elephants was identified as a successful example that utilizes evaporative cooling and has, therefore, informed the realization of a textured façade panel. A systematic process has been undertaken to examine the impact of different variables on the cooling ability of the panels, bringing in new morphological considerations for surface texture. The results showed that the morphological variables of assembly and depth of texture have impact on heat loss, and the impact of surface area to volume (SA:V) ratios on heat loss capabilities varies for different surface roughness. This study demonstrates the potential exploitation of morphological adaptation to buildings, that could contribute to them cooling passively and reduce the need for expensive and energy consuming mechanical systems. Furthermore, it suggests areas for further investigation and opens new avenues for novel thermal solutions inspired by nature for the built environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:48:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3fcd3fb2f6ea445b80ccd0853a12059f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-7673 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:48:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-3fcd3fb2f6ea445b80ccd0853a12059f2023-11-21T13:17:59ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732021-03-01622410.3390/biomimetics6020024Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative CoolingMegan Peeks0Lidia Badarnah1The Department of Architecture and the Built Environment, Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UKThe Department of Architecture and the Built Environment, Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UKThe overheating of buildings and their need for mechanical cooling is a growing issue as a result of climate change. The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of surface texture on heat loss capabilities of concrete panels through evaporative cooling. Organisms maintain their body temperature in very narrow ranges in order to survive, where they employ morphological and behavioral means to complement physiological strategies for adaptation. This research follows a biomimetic approach to develop a design solution. The skin morphology of elephants was identified as a successful example that utilizes evaporative cooling and has, therefore, informed the realization of a textured façade panel. A systematic process has been undertaken to examine the impact of different variables on the cooling ability of the panels, bringing in new morphological considerations for surface texture. The results showed that the morphological variables of assembly and depth of texture have impact on heat loss, and the impact of surface area to volume (SA:V) ratios on heat loss capabilities varies for different surface roughness. This study demonstrates the potential exploitation of morphological adaptation to buildings, that could contribute to them cooling passively and reduce the need for expensive and energy consuming mechanical systems. Furthermore, it suggests areas for further investigation and opens new avenues for novel thermal solutions inspired by nature for the built environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/6/2/24biomimicrybiomimeticsevaporative coolingthermoregulationfaçade panelsmorphological adaptation |
| spellingShingle | Megan Peeks Lidia Badarnah Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling Biomimetics biomimicry biomimetics evaporative cooling thermoregulation façade panels morphological adaptation |
| title | Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling |
| title_full | Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling |
| title_fullStr | Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling |
| title_short | Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling |
| title_sort | textured building facades utilizing morphological adaptations found in nature for evaporative cooling |
| topic | biomimicry biomimetics evaporative cooling thermoregulation façade panels morphological adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/6/2/24 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meganpeeks texturedbuildingfacadesutilizingmorphologicaladaptationsfoundinnatureforevaporativecooling AT lidiabadarnah texturedbuildingfacadesutilizingmorphologicaladaptationsfoundinnatureforevaporativecooling |