Towards Advanced Active Façades: Analysis of façade requirements and development of an innovative construction system

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. Among the latter, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), which function both as envelope materials and electricity producers, are rapidly becoming more performant. However, their potential remains largely unrealised due to diverse barriers. Architects, in particular, tend to avoid integrating BIPV in their designs because of their limited expressive qualities. In reaction, this on-going research aims at developing design strategies for low-carbon façades while addressing BIPV expressive issues, with the goal of bridging the gap between technology and designers. Within this overall framework, the paper presents the Advanced Active Façade (AAF) concept, which results from analysing the evolution of façade requirements and solutions over time. The AAF simultaneously aims at achieving low embodied energy by benefiting from passive low-carbon design strategies, and generating energy by integrating BIPV technology. The paper introduces the core phase of the research, which consists in the development of the AAF Construction System and AAF Design Strategies. The output of the research will provide architects with a construction system and assessed design strategies to optimize the design process of BIPV façades.