2024 - Solaradaptive Nexus

Buildings can be conceptualized as a composition of ”skeletons” and ”skins,” where the skin serves as the façade or envelope and the skeleton is the structural framework. The incorporation of alternative materials in building fabrication and advancements in computational technology have transformed architects’ approaches to building structure and façade. This project explores innovative forms and spatial configurations to address the regional climatic conditions of the location, incorporating façade design technologies that are climate-responsive and enhance the building’s aesthetics.
This project reimagines the academic building of the Department of Architecture at a renowned university in South Asia, located in a tropical monsoon climate zone, to enhance its performance as a climate-responsive and well-operational building with a high-performance envelope. The primary objective of this design was to produce a formal expression of a building that maintains its integrity in terms of skin, structure, and spatial quality.
The design includes two studio classrooms, one or more professor’s rooms (situated between the studios), and one theory classroom on the first, second, and third floors. The intermediate space between the two studio classroom zones on the second floor extends northward to accommodate an exhibition space, that can double as a jury place for student projects. This space benefits from diffused northern light. The slab of the exhibition space also functions as a shaded drop-off area, beneath which a grand entrance with double-height ceilings is designed. While the north side serves as the formal entry to the building, the south side is considered the heart of the building, where students gather, interact, and engage in various activities. Views of the picturesque field on the south side of the building and the semi-outdoor staircase can be admired from the north entrance. The slabs of the studio classrooms extend slightly towards the north to accommodate planter boxes that filter out road noise and dust. Next to the sculpture studio on the fourth level is an interactive terrace where students can build models in an open setting and take pictures of their creations with natural light.
Following a daylight analysis, the building’s façade was designed to have manually operated and automated (programmed) corten steel sandwich panels serving as louvers.. These louvers interact with direct sunlight and rotate according to the daylight needs of the spaces on the east and west sides, the southeast and southwest sides, and the northern exhibition space, offering different experiences on various sides of the building.

The panels on the east and southeast sides are programmed to remain at a 30° angle from the normal of the sun’s rays from dawn to noon, preventing direct sunlight and allowing reflected light to enter the interior. They remain open for the rest of the day. The western and southwestern panels stay open throughout the day but rotate along an axis normal to the sun’s rays in the afternoon to block direct sunlight and heat. Photovoltaic panels paired with ETFE panels are installed in front of the corridors on the south façade. These panels operate seasonally, adjusting to an optimal angle to maximize sunlight absorption and energy conversion. The ETFE panels attached to the photovoltaic panels allow controlled sunlight to enter while reducing glare and partially blocking rainwater from entering the corridors during the rainy season.