Adapting the Motion Algorithm of a Smart Building Facade Shade to the Behavioral Pattern of Oxalis Plant for Daylight Control (Case Study: Shiraz City)

With the advancement of technology, energy consumption, particularly in the building sector, has significantly increased. Nowadays, designing smart facade shades is considered one of the proposed solutions in this field. However, designing optimal rule-based management systems that simultaneously minimize sunlight exposure, overheating, and energy consumption remains a challenging task for designers. To design a smart shade, it is necessary to first develop an appropriate and responsive motion pattern for the chosen performance. Considering that nature has always been a source of inspiration for humans and has sustainably operated over time, plants were selected as the inspiration source for designing the smart shade in this study. Plants, like buildings, are rooted and stationary yet respond to changes in their surrounding environment. Hence, they exhibit behavioral functions similar to building facades. This similarity arises from the fact that building facades, like plant skins, must protect the internal environment from external environmental changes. This highlights the importance of exploring plant-inspired sources to achieve desirable motion and form patterns. Additionally, Shiraz, characterized by a hot and semi-arid climate, was chosen as the case study due to its hot summers and intense sunlight on southern building facades, which necessitates the use of facade shades. The findings indicate that the movement of the smart facade shade in Shiraz’s climate, aligned with the sun’s path, can result in a 30% reduction in absorbed solar radiation on the transparent facade surface, as well as decreased daylight penetration and lighting intensity when the shade panels are fully closed. For shades with semi-open and open panels, the reductions were 50% and 80%, respectively. Furthermore, the lighting intensity in all shade states remained within standard ranges, demonstrating the efficient performance of the smart facade shade in Shiraz's climate. Finally, recommendations were made to enhance the practicality of facade shade design, including modular and expandable designs, adaptability to the surrounding environment, and digital methods for more precise product manufacturing.