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ISSN (Print: 2537-0154, online: 2537-0162)

International Journal on:

The Academic Research Community Publication

DOI: 10.21625/archive.v2i3.347

Kinetic Architecture & Renewable Energy

Azza Gamal Haggag1
1 Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology

Abstract
Today, architecture is one of the finest products of the creative human mind that God has given us. Its existence is a
necessity which makes the aspects of human life and way of thinking balanced between endless desires and needs.
This confirms the strong relationship between the architectural product and humans. This relationship is based on
providing humans with their needs and it aims to find appropriate solutions to the problems facing them. Additions
that can be added to the architectural product such as motion help in activating the interaction in this relationship.
The movement is added to the architectural output to express a new relationship between the environment and the
human who was affected by the existence of motors and its utilitarian, technical, and aesthetic issues. The research
focuses on how these effects can be exploited to solve problems like energy consumption that is a main problem in
the construction process.

© 2018 The Authors. Published by IEREK press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords
Energy Consumption; Energy saving; Design Considerations; Kinetic building

1. Introduction
According to the design considerations necessary for the implementation of any kinetic building efficiently and
successfully, Considerations can be classified into: architectural considerations - technical considerations and
considerations of implementation. The main idea of this paper based on trying to prove that if these bases or
considerations meet the goal of energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly alternative sources, the
principle of saving energy for kinetic buildings will be achieved, and it is no longer limited to the kinetic interfaces
that contribute to climate adaptation and energy saving. The following is an account of these considerations and
how they can be channeled to energy saving and know which considerations have a prominent role in achieving
this goal.

2. Kinetic Architecture Design Considerations

Design considerations are the main factors for getting a successful kinetic building, some of these considerations
have a direct impact on energy consumption rate and other have an indirect effect. This consideration including
the following, Figure1.

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Figure 1. Kinetic Architecture Design considerations.

2.1. Architectural Considerations

Successful architectural work requires many of the basic architectural considerations to meet the human different
needs by achieving functional, aesthetic, psychological and social comfort, which can be expressed as follows:
First: Functional Considerations:
Including the followings:
- Studying the ability of the building to achieve its purpose - in terms of choosing the appropriate motor sys-
tem for different architectural needs, and the compatibility of the design solution of the kinetic system with the
requirements of internal spaces (study the purpose of movement)
Studying the Purpose of Movement
By tracking and studying many kinetic buildings, the purpose of applying motion can be classified into the follow-
ings, table 1:
1- Providing design flexibility to fit with the natural variables or to make the building multi-use.
2 - Providing design flexibility in accordance with the functional requirements, such as the movement of doors and
windows that perform specific function
3- Achieving maximum benefits from the surrounding environmental conditions.
4 - Attracting the attention of the recipient and achieving luxury. This category includes restaurants, revolving
exhibitions and residential units.

Table 1. Kinatic building examples for different purpose of movement.

1- Providing design flexibility to fit with the natural variables or to make the building multi - use.
Swedbank Stadium Located just north of Stockholm, and designed to be a truly multi-purpose
facility. The arena seats 50,000 guests for international football matches and
other sporting events, and can be configured to hold an additional 15,000
guests for concerts and other shows by controlling the roof design that can
protect guests from inclement weather, while still retaining the advantages
of an open-air stadium when the weather is favorable (Project Gallery). See
figure 2.
Sharifi-ha House Designed by Tehran studio Next Office, consists of three rooms that can be
rotated 90 degrees to open up views and terraces during Iran’s hot summers,
and turned back to a horizontal position to keep the house warmer during the
cold, snowy winters (Taghaboni, 2014). See figure 3.
2 - Providing design flexibility in accordance with the functional requirements.
Continued on next page

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Table 1 continued
American Airlines by Uni- Uni-Systems has designed the Uni-Dock as a way to perform needed safety
Dock inspections, maintenance and repairs in less time with more accuracy. The
Uni-Dock allows maintenance staff fast, easy access to an entire aircraft for
all repair and inspection activities, dramatically shortening the stay of each
aircraft and optimizes productivity and air time of each aircraft (En-Fold®
Retractable Awning by Uni-Systems). See figure 4.
3- Achieving maximum benefits from the surrounding environmental conditions.
The dynamic solar shading of The Kiefer Technic Showroom is a hybrid exhibition space and office
Kiefer Technic Showroom building in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria that moves according to the gen-
eral weather conditions. The façade expands and contracts to regulate the
amount of sunlight permitted to the interior. This responsive design mini-
mizes the necessity of air conditioning by maintaining a constantly moving
shield against external heat (Uys, 2016). See figure 5.
Penumbra Providing shading across a building facade for both low evening sun and
high afternoon sun conditions. Our solution was a series of vertical shading
louvers, that can independently pivot to maximize solar protection, and when
the sun reaches an altitude in which vertical louvers would be ineffective,
completely rotate upwards to act as a horizontal shading element and light
shelf (Short, 2014). See figure 6.
4 - Attracting the attention of the recipient and achieving luxury.
Shanghai theater Designed by Foster, Partners and Heatherwick Studio, Inspired by traditional
Chinese theatres, the three-story building features a curtain-like facade of
bronze tubes. These tubes hang in three layers, moving in a vertical direction
creating semi-transparent movable screens in front of windows and balconies
(Frearson, 2017). See figure 7.

Figure 2. Swedbank Stadium

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Figure 3. Sharifi-ha House

Figure 4. American Airlines by Uni-Dock

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Figure 5. The dynamic solar shading of Kiefer Technic Showroom

Figure 6. Penumbra

Figure 7. Shanghai theater

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- Studying the relationship between fixed and moving parts and the impact of each other, while maintaining the
stability of each part of them separately.
- Studying the horizontal and vertical communication elements like stairs and corridors, their relationship to the
movement and directions of escape to achieve safety for users (Ishii, 2000).
- Studying services location and facilities taking into account the absence of overlapping service paths and facilities
especially in the revolving projects.
- Studying the percentage of used spaces for mechanical and operating systems, including studying the effect of
moving elements on the fixed parts.
- Studying the compatibility of architectural design with laws, legislations and regulations, respecting laws and
regulations of the surrounding.
Second: Environmental Considerations
Environmental considerations are necessary by:
- providing thermal and optical comfort to the user of the architectural space, without affecting the environment and
the energy conservation rates. Using some environmental design strategies like green architecture and sustainable
buildings increases the performance of the building in the field of environmental conservation.
-Providing thermal comfort gained by using natural ventilation and shades, studying ratios of openings, finishing
materials , efficiency of joints for moving parts.
-Achieving acoustic efficiency gained by studying the effect of the internal structure of the moving part on the
acoustic efficiency of the space, as well as the effect of materials used and the great effect of motors and joints
- Saving energy, including thermal and optical considerations and the energy type required for the operation of the
building and the operation of motors.
Third: Considerations of Geometric Form
Determination of the geometric form must be integrated with the purpose of the building and the nature of the
movement, whether functional or environmental, which requires the following:
- Determining the basic form of the kinetic building by studying the style and nature of the movement.
- Taking into consideration the structural and mechanical aspects of the structure as a whole, moving parts and
joints. The design of kinetic blocks, which sometimes produce the whole structure by moving them all separately
at the same time (Hoberman Associates, 2007).
- Studying the form and behavior of the building in motion, by making real or digital initial models of the movement
style.
-Taking into consideration the achievement of movement safety especially for buildings that move with a transfor-
mation of the structural skeleton, and check stability during movement.
- Taking into account the ease of use of the facility by achieving flexibility in responding to various functional and
environmental requirements.
Fourth: Aesthetic Considerations
Although elements of kinetic buildings are mechanical component, it requires some aesthetic considerations
through:
- Studying the esthetics of the form of movement in the case of stability and in case of movement.
- Studying the compatibility of the final form taking into account the relationship between the movement parts and
fixed parts.
- Study the compatibility of the building with the environment.

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2.2. Technical Considerations

Technical considerations are the most important considerations necessary for the implementation of the kinetic
buildings for the continuation of its work efficiently, including the following:
Operation, maintenance and safety - environmental loads - material selection - economic considerations
First: Operation, Maintenance and Safety
Kinetic buildings are exposed to collapse and failure by breaking parts of them over time or affect the efficiency
of the movement or response to exogenous stimuli, so specialists must follow some steps to reduce the size of risk
and reduce the costs of periodic maintenance and safety for users in the framework of (Asefi, 2009):
Taking into account achieving good detailed design for all operation and maintenance programs.
- Providing the complete specifications of all components of the kinetic system.
- Taking into account the integration of the roles of the architectural and structural designer with the manufacturer
and continuity of the relationship between them.
- Preparing the equipment for periodic and surprise maintenance.
Second: Considerations of Environmental Loads
It is one of the most important challenges facing the process of design of kinetic buildings includes the process
of assessment and identification of all internal and external environmental loads that can affect the movement of
moving components. Environmental loads can cause the collapse of the joints before or during the motion, which
requires study of the following:
-The external environmental loads are divided into expected loads such as wind loads, and unpredictable loads
such as earthquakes. Therefore, the structure must be designed with a degree of flexibility that resist the
horizontal forces of the earthquakes, or sets up special systems such as those that causes closing the building shell
when the wind speed rises.
-Internal loads: such as internal heat transfer to the structural components or resulting from the motion of the
building.
Third: Material Selection Considerations
These include structural materials and covering materials, and there are many criteria and considerations that can
be classified into environmental, structural and mechanical, aesthetic considerations. And some computer database
programs help in comparing between different materials such as Cambridge Selector Cambridge (Ashby, 2005).
Material selection considerations include:
Environmental Considerations:
Environmental impact is one of the most important considerations for material selection (Asefi, 2009), it includes:
- Choosing materials that have little effect on the environment which is also less energy consuming during manu-
facturing and operation.
- Choosing materials that are most resistant to environmental conditions, like the lighter and more fire-resistant or
recycled materials.
- Choosing the easy cleaning materials which are small enough to reduce the possibility of plankton, microbes
and dust existing, thus reducing the cost of maintenance and cleaning, such as self-cleaning materials and anti-
adhesive materials (Lehman, 2008).
- Selection of materials which are available at the surrounding environment to reduce costs and adapt to the sur-
roundings.
Structural and Mechanical Considerations:
The study of the mechanical properties of materials is a basic requirement for the structural design of the kinetic
structures, including the study of some factors like the factor of decreasing material efficiency over time, the

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thermal and sound behavior of the materials in terms of insulation, the material lifetime and durability, resistant
material to buckling (Asefi, 2009).
The Aesthetic considerations:
It means the consideration that concern of the aesthetic properties of materials such as color, patterns, appearance
and compatibility with the visual perception of the structure.
Fourth: Economic Considerations (cost and value)
Kinetic buildings are characterized by the high initial cost, making them sometimes be excluded as a design
alternative. Cost elements include (Ashby, 2005):
-The cost of the initial design including the various researches and studies of the method of movement and behavior
of the building as a whole and the costs of making study models.
- Manufacturing cost including the methods of manufacturing different parts of the kinetic structure and the cost
of covering materials.
- Operating and controlling cost including the energy used to move the building, especially large-scale installations
that need high-capacity engines. As well as the necessary energy for monitoring, sensing and computer control. -
The cost of periodic and sudden maintenance. It includes the cost of maintenance materials and all spare parts for
the system covering materials.

2.3. Implementation Considerations

These include coordination between the different design teamwork which include the architect, the structural,
electro-mechanical engineers, the engine & control systems exper.., etc., who have to fully integrate the work
under the previous considerations, in addition to understanding the movement system which can be simplified in
the following (Fox & Kemp, 2009):
The kinetic systems components.
The kinetic systems generally consist of: Structure skeleton, Actuators, input systems and controller.
The input can be presented by the sensors and the different input methods which give different information about
the surrounding environment. The control systems are in the computer that is responsible for making the decision to
carry out the movement by receiving the information from the input systems and giving the orders to the animation
systems that move the structure. Not all previous items are required because:
-If the system consists of motors and structural skeleton, it is a simple kinetic building, easy to control.
- If the system consists of sensors without engines, they will be sensitive building, such as monitoring and safety
systems used in fixed buildings.
- If there are sensors and motors together, this system is responsive/ smart building.
- If the system simulates neural networks systems, this is a smart intelligent self-learning has many characteristics
that facilitate the response to the surrounding environment and achieve the desired needs efficiently (Sheriden,
2000).
The movement occurring in the parts of the kinetic building requires an engine to generate this movement and a
controlling system to achieve its purpose in the best possible way, which is known as the control system. There
are many techniques to control this movement ranging from simple manual systems to complex technical and
mechanical systems, and the more complex the control systems the more energy consumed in the operation of the
building.
Parts of control systems include:
- Mechanical motors that are extended by a source of energy
- usually electrical energy or pressure of liquids (hydraulic) or pneumatic pressure and pneumatically turning it

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into motion.
- Sensors that respond to stimuli - physical - chemical stimuli (such as motion, temperature or chemical concen-
tration) and send signals or impulses, including light sensors, sound sensors, heat sensors, humidity sensors, touch
sensitive sensors, positioning sensors, motion sensors, chemical and magnetic sensors, as well as environmental
sensors used in studying temperature, air pressure, humidity and others.
- Transducers, a device that converts energy from one image to another, such as converting mechanical energy into
electrical energy.
- Detectors, devices consisting of sensors, in addition to other electronic components , used for conversion of
signals from the sensors and converted into a understandable and usable formula.
- Actuators, which convert the incoming energy which are in the form of signals to mechanical movement.

3. Design Considerations Analysis

- The relation between the building and energy is an old and prominent relationship which nowadays constitutes
one of the most important scientific studying trends to maintain the correct environmental balance. This is the
mathematical equation in which the architect and the work team compare the different design solutions for each of
the above mentioned consideration elements with different grades to assess the energy consumption rates that can
be classified into: maximum consumption, medium consumption and low.
Thus all elements can be balanced to reach the energy consumption rates of the building as a whole to make the
necessary design decisions.
- According to the rate of consumption, one of the risk management strategies can be used. These policies provide
three solutions according to the risk assessment in terms of probability and impact and these policies are: preven-
tion or avoidance policy, reduction policy and acceptance policy (Airmic & IRM, 2002; Lough, Stone & Tumer,
2006).

4. Conclusions
- There are some design considerations that mainly affect the energy consumed, the most prominent one is the
consideration of studying the purpose of movement and environmental basics of the design and materials used.
Therefore, the decision to apply kinetic buildings or moving parts or elements must be carefully evaluated since
the efforts of different institutions in many countries going into limit and control the rates of energy needed for
construction, operation and maintenance. However, some architectural projects may gain international fame in
terms of idea and implementation because they are kinetic buildings, and thus attract many visitors and users who
are financially capable, despite consuming a lot of energy to attract the attention of passers-by. And it is difficult
in these cases to assess the consumption of energy in order to choose the appropriate risk management policy, but
choosing the policy of reduction will be the best solution.
- The functional reasons for applying kinetic buildings placed in a strong confrontation with the analysis of the

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necessity of movement because they provide solutions to many problems of architectural design, so in the case of
energy consumption remains, the option of reduction policy will be the ideal alternative rather than prevention.
- Estimate the ratio between the average energy consumption and the rate of saving are difficult to determine
precisely in many cases because they influenced by the performance of users of architectural spaces and their
understanding of the concepts of environmentally friendly buildings and problems of depletion of energy sources
and other topics.
- The necessity of cooperation of the various parties involved in the design, implementation and formation of kinetic
buildings ,so that it will be easy to complete all the necessary data for architectural, technical and operational design
considerations.

5. Acknowledgments
The author would like to acknowledge Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology in Egypt for the financial
and moral support for carrying out various academic researches.

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