Computational Design · 2024
Kinetic Apertures
A facade that opens and closes with the sun
Modular aperture panels that respond to the sun's angle and radiation, then open or close to cut heat gain on glazed towers. A steel mechanical structure moves them, a tensile textile shades, and a 3D-printed module tests the fold.
- Context
- University of Michigan · Research
- Role
- Individual research
- Year
- 2024
- Tools
- Apertures on the facade
- 300
- Sun angle mapped to aperture
- 0–90°
The problem
Curtain-wall towers trap heat and feed the urban heat island. Fixed shading is right for one hour of the day and wrong for the rest.
The logic
For every panel and every hour, a script takes the angle between the panel’s face and the sun’s direction. That angle stands in for incoming radiation: face-on means the most, glancing the least. Each aperture’s opening is set from it, closing under peak radiation and opening as it falls.
Radiation angle computed for every panel as the sun moves. Scroll or drag.
Frame 01 / 11
The prototype
A hybrid system: a steel mechanism for movement and a tensile textile for shade. One module was 3D printed to test how the aperture folds open and shut.
