A Systematic Review of the Most Recent Concepts in Kinetic Shading Systems with a Focus on Biomimetics: A Motion/Deformation Analysis

Abstract

In the context of sustainability and ambitious goals for reducing CO2 emissions, modifying transparency in architecture becomes a crucial tool for managing energy flow into buildings. Kinetic shading systems (KSSs) regulate light and heat entry into a room, thereby reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions and improving daylight comfort. Recent advancements in KSSs have led to a significant increase in published papers since early 2022. This paper systematically reviews recent technological innovations in KSSs and presents the mechanical principles utilized in these systems. Given the kinetic/mechanical nature of all case studies examined, a categorization based on ‘type of motion and deformation’ was used, ranging from the simplest to the most complex solutions. In the context of kinetic systems, the motion category addresses the displacement (translation, rotation, or both) of rigid façade elements, while deformation describes the transformation that changes the shape of these elements. The data are presented in tabular form, including details about building type, climate zone, research type, evaluation, and before and after values. Additionally, some reviewed systems’ authors drew inspiration from nature, employing biomimetic methods to design KSSs. Despite considerable growth, these solutions still represent only 21% of all analyzed shading system cases. This topic is extensively discussed, considering tropical and nastic plant movements towards this paper’s conclusion. The PRISMA protocol was used to review, screen, select, and retrieve all cited papers. This review covers the most recent publications from 2022 to April 2024, recorded in the WoS and Scopus databases, and includes 66 papers.