Energy savings by using Energy Frames - Demonstration and validation (Ph.D. project)

The design of a facade is crucial for the building's resulting indoor climate and energy consumption. The facade must fulfill a wide range of features relative to the users and have a significant impact on how they experience the indoor climate and the ability to control the indoor climate parameters according to changing needs.

This report describes how a facade can be classified according to its ability to meet individual functions based on user needs. The classification can be applied to all types of facades, but is especially important in building design, where emphasis is on allowing  the building envelope’s ability to meet several important functions at the same time and to optimize the control of these features
in relation to indoor climate and energy consumption. Basically, there are certain features that the facade must comply with legally, and therefore the classification is based on the Building Regulations, environmental health regulations, and relevant standards. This clarifies how dynamic facades can contribute very significantly to meeting the demands while achieving great energy gains and indoor climate improvements.

The report contains examples of different types of facade elements from practice where the main emphasis is on one or two important features, such as sun shading elements, thermal insulation elements, and elements that provide venting and noise reduction at the same time. 

The report also provide guidance on how the building designer can take into account the changing characteristics of the facade in connection with the proposed new regulations on maximum dimensional heat loss and compliance with the energy framework compliance with the Be18 calculation program.