Dynamic environmental control mechanisms for pneumatic foil constructions

Membrane and foil structures have become over the last decades an attractive alternative to conventional materials and building systems with increasing implementation in different typologies and scale. The development of transparent, light, flexible and resistant materials like Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) has triggered a rethinking of the building envelope in the building industry towards lightweight systems. ETFE foil cushions have proven to fulfil the design requirements in terms of structural efficiency and aesthetic values. But the strategies to satisfy increasing demands of energy efficiency and comfort conditions are still under development. The prediction and manipulation of the thermo-optical behaviour of ETFE foil cushion structures currently remain as one of the main challenges for designers and manufacturers. This paper reviews ongoing research regarding the control of the thermo-optical performance of ETFE cushion structures and highlights challenges and possible improvements. An overview of different dynamic and responsive environmental control mechanisms for multilayer foil constructions is provided and the state of the art in building application outlined by the discussion of case studies

[1]  Frei Otto.  Das hängende Dach : Gestalt und Struktur , 1954 .

[2]  Maria Kolokotroni,et al.  ETFE foil cushions in roofs and atria , 2001 .

[3]  Annemie Wyckmans.  Intelligent Building Envelopes : Architectural Concept a Applications for Daylighting Quality , 2005 .

[4]  Karsten Moritz.  ETFE-Folie als Tragelement , 2007 .

[5]  G. Hausladen,et al.  ClimateSkin: Building-Skin Concepts That Can Do More with Less Energy , 2008 .

[6]  Annette LeCuyer,et al.  ETFE: Technologie und Entwurf , 2008 .

[7]  Lars Schiemann.  Tragverhalten von ETFE-Folien unter biaxialer Beanspruchung , 2009 .

[8]  G. Gan.  CFD modelling of transparent bubble cavity envelopes for energy efficient greenhouses , 2009 .

[9]  Jan Knippers,et al.  Construction Manual for Polymers + Membranes: Materials, Semi-finished Products, Form Finding, Design , 2011 .

[10]  Fei Xie.  A novel clear foil cushion construction incorporating an additional water layer , 2011 .

[11]  Remo Pedreschi.  Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures V , 2011 .

[12]  Javier Neila,et al.  Pneumatic Skins in Architecture. Sustainable Trends in Low Positive Pressure Inflatable Systems , 2011 .

[13]  Ulrich Schurr,et al.  Glass–film-combination: Opto-physical properties and energy saving potential of a novel greenhouse glazing system , 2012 .

[14]  Thomas Hanke,et al.  Einsatzverhalten von ETFE-Membrankissenkonstruktionen , 2013 .

[15]  John Chilton,et al.  Lightweight envelopes: ethylene tetra-fluoro-ethylene foil in architecture , 2013 .

[16]  Alessandra Zanelli,et al.  The Sustainability of Adaptive Envelopes: Developments of Kinetic Architecture☆ , 2016 .

[17]  Andrea Giovanni Mainini,et al.  The Effect of Water Spray Systems on Thermal and Solar Performance of an ETFE Panel for Building Envelope , 2016 .

[18]  Bing Zhao,et al.  Buildings with ETFE foils: A review on material properties, architectural performance and structural behavior , 2017 .

[19]  Mohammed Sonebi,et al.  Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Construction Materials , 2020 .