Textured Building Façades: Utilizing Morphological Adaptations Found in Nature for Evaporative Cooling

Abstract

The overheating of buildings and their need for mechanical cooling is a growing issue as a result of climate change. The main aim of this paper is to examine the impact of surface texture on heat loss capabilities of concrete panels through evaporative cooling. Organisms maintain their body temperature in very narrow ranges in order to survive, where they employ morphological and behavioral means to complement physiological strategies for adaptation. This research follows a biomimetic approach to develop a design solution. The skin morphology of elephants was identified as a successful example that utilizes evaporative cooling and has, therefore, informed the realization of a textured façade panel. A systematic process has been undertaken to examine the impact of different variables on the cooling ability of the panels, bringing in new morphological considerations for surface texture. The results showed that the morphological variables of assembly and depth of texture have impact on heat loss, and the impact of surface area to volume (SA:V) ratios on heat loss capabilities varies for different surface roughness. This study demonstrates the potential exploitation of morphological adaptation to buildings, that could contribute to them cooling passively and reduce the need for expensive and energy consuming mechanical systems. Furthermore, it suggests areas for further investigation and opens new avenues for novel thermal solutions inspired by nature for the built environment.

Research on spray cooling performance based on battery thermal management

“…The heat of water evaporation is about 2400 kJ/kg, which is 9 to 11 times that of paraffin melting 21 . Therefore, since the evaporative cooling technology was proposed, due to its excellent performance, it has been widely used in the fields of building energy saving, 22 industrial large‐scale equipment cooling, 23 and electronic chip cooling 24 . In recent years, this technology has been introduced into battery thermal management systems.…”

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

“…The recent use of biomimicry approaches to develop responsive envelopes has been previously addressed in critical reviews [ 2 , 17 , 24 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. These authors provide a starting point to develop a general overview of the global context and development of responsive building envelopes using biomimicry.…”

“…Wrinkles are formed in the skins of some animals. Particular skin morphologies in nature enhance thermal regulation capabilities by using different coping mechanisms [ 45 ]. For instance, in most cases, elephants’ environment is characterized by an environmental temperature higher than their body temperature.…”

“…Their wrinkles form a network that enhances their thermoregulation by retaining moisture. Furthermore, these wrinkles may create self-shade regions, reducing heat loads and promoting convection for further heat losses [ 24 , 45 , 107 ].…”

Anatomical, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms of thermoregulation in elephants

“…Although the characteristics that have been described are observed in Asian and African elephants (Peeks and Badarnah 2021), it is important to mention some differences since the environment inhabited by the Elephantidae family influences their degree of adaptation. For example, African elephants reside in the African continent and areas with extreme climates, having two recognized subspecies: the savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) (Grubb et al 2000).…”