SolarAdaptive: A Climate-responsive Learning Hub for Architectural Education

Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Dhaka

Idea projektu

Buildings can be understood as a dynamic interplay between a “skeleton” (the structural framework) and a “skin” (the façade or envelope), yet traditional façades often remain static in the face of changing environmental conditions. Solaradaptive: A Climate-responsive Learning Hub for Architectural Education reimagines this paradigm by integrating advanced façade technologies and material innovations to create an academic building that actively interacts with its local climate. Located in a tropical savanna zone at a leading South Asian university, the project responds to persistent issues—poor natural ventilation, excessive heat gain, noise intrusion, and inadequate daylight distribution—by deploying a hybrid envelope system of automated and manually controlled metal modules alongside ETFE cushions with integrated photovoltaics (“ETFE-PV modules”).

Rather than treating daylight as a mere performance statistic, Solaradaptive positions light as a material agent—a fluid medium sculpted by rotating Corten-steel louvers and translucent cushions that animate interior spaces with evolving patterns of shadow and illumination. These louvers track solar angles in real time—fixing at a 30° tilt to harness low-angle morning light, then opening or rotating vertically to mitigate afternoon heat—while ETFE-PV modules diffuse glare, insulate against thermal loads, and generate renewable energy. Together, they choreograph material flows of light, air, and energy, transforming façades into “transitional ecologies” that co-shape occupant comfort and engagement.

By embedding automated control algorithms alongside manual overrides, the building invites its users—students and faculty alike—to experiment with light levels, views, and energy production. This creates an ever-evolving pedagogical instrument: studios bathed in soft northern glow at dawn, a double-height exhibition gallery filtered through geometric shadows by midday, and a semi-outdoor terrace striped in afternoon sun. In merging structure, envelope, ecology, and technology, Solaradaptive offers a new model for educational architecture—one where the skin breathes, adapts, and teaches in harmony with the tropical climate.

Popis projektu

Context & Conceptual Drivers
Dense Tropical Urbanism: In a megacity where campus land is at a premium and heat, noise, and humidity predominate, architecture must mediate between enclosure and openness, between climatic control and ecological richness.

Embodied Learning Ecology: Light, view, and vegetation are not add-ons but integral to pedagogy. Semi-outdoor corridors become liminal classrooms; double-height north galleries imbue critique with diffuse skylight; planter-box projections on studio slabs buffer noise and insert greenery at eye level.

Façade as Pedagogical Device: Automated louvers and ETFE skins do more than optimise metrics—they choreograph shifting daylight narratives across spaces, framing views of the campus field, the sky, and inserted vegetated screens, fostering a constant, subtle dialogue between inhabitants and their environment.

Spatial Reorganization & Interfaces
Ground Floor: Open-plan lobby axes connect formal north arrivals to lively south entries; the club room’s bi-folding façade dissolves boundaries for workshops under dappled daylight.

Studio & Jury Spaces: Typical floors host paired studios flanking a central theory classroom; on the second level, these studios extend into a double-height exhibition/jury gallery suffused with northern diffuse light and glimpses of greenery beyond pivoting louvers.

Semi-Outdoor Stair & Terrace: A sculptural stair on the south side threads between lush planter walls; the fourth-floor sculpture studio spills outdoors onto a terrace where daylight and breezes become tactile teachers.

Vegetal Interfaces (Future Phase): Provisions are made to retrofit green-screen panels or living walls alongside louvers, adding seasonal humidity control, biophilic texture, and filigreed shadows.

By treating façade systems, daylight, and vegetation as co-equal pedagogical elements—and by embedding automated, ecologically minded controls within a robust structural “skeleton”—Automated proposes a new typology of transitional learning ecology: layered, adaptive, and intimately attuned to the body, the season, and the city.

Technické informace

Envelope Systems & Controls

Rotating Corten-Steel Louvres: Operated by a solar-tracking Grasshopper script, these panels adapt to daily sun paths: east–facing louvers hold a 30° tilt until noon, softly reflecting morning light into studios, while west–facing louvers pivot vertically in the afternoon to shield heat yet permit indirect illumination. Each louver integrates modular mounts for optional vegetation, enabling future biophilic enhancements.

PV-Integrated ETFE Corridor Assemblies: A dual-layer “solaradaptive” membrane wraps the south façades: outer monocrystalline photovoltaic modules (330 W, ~20% efficiency) overlay high-transmittance ETFE cushions (VT 0.6–0.9). Seasonally adjustable actuators set optimal tilt angles for maximum energy harvest, controlled glare reduction, and rain deflection during monsoon rains. This hybrid envelope diffuses natural light while generating renewable power.

Vegetal Retrofit Capability: Façade rails and louver supports are preconfigured to accept green meshes or planter modules, fostering a living envelope that cools, filters dust, and nurtures campus biodiversity.

Simulation & Performance Metrics

Daylight Performance: Under LEED v4.1 criteria (modeled in ClimateStudio), key metrics improve markedly:

Average Daylight Illuminance: 921 lux, exceeding typical classroom requirements.

Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA₃₀₀/₅₀%): 76.3%, qualifying for LEED Credit 3 by delivering ample natural light across over three-quarters of regularly occupied floor area for at least half of operational hours.

Annual Solar Exposure (ASE₁₀₀₀/₂₅₀h): 8.6%, comfortably under the 10% threshold to prevent overheating and glare.

Daylight Glare Probability (DGP): Intolerable glare in only 6% of occupied hours; 91% of hours remain in the imperceptible glare range (DGP < 0.35).

Energy & Comfort: Preliminary thermal analysis suggests peak solar loads drop by 25% on shaded façades. Combined with on-site photovoltaic generation and reduced artificial lighting demand, the system supports an energy-efficient and comfort-optimized design, steering the building toward net-zero potential in future development phases.

Ecological & Atmospheric Agency:
This adaptive envelope transforms daylight into a dynamic material agent, forging pedagogical atmospheres through shifting shadows, framed green views, and controlled glare. Studios become introspective retreats under soft illumination; exhibition galleries glow with diffuse northern light; corridors threaded by vines become living labs of comfort and ecological awareness. In this way, architecture is co-constructed by climate, vegetation, and human interaction—truly a transitional ecology rather than a static shell.