Design and Environmental Performance Assessment of a Parametric kinetic Façade Module Inspired by Iranian Geometric Principles

In conditions where energy crises and environmental issues are becoming increasingly prominent, the building envelope is no longer merely a static boundary but has transformed into an active interface for regulating environmental interactions. In this context, dynamic double-skin façades, as one of the advanced solutions, have demonstrated considerable potential in reducing energy consumption, improving daylight use, and enhancing indoor environmental quality. However, a fundamental challenge remains: the discrepancy between construction costs, simulation results, and the real performance of these systems. Many façades are optimized in software environments, but in practice, due to real-world factors such as material behavior and changing environmental conditions, they exhibit different performance. Despite significant advancements in the design of double-skin façades, several fundamental challenges still exist. One of the most important issues is the gap between simulation results and real performance, which reduces the reliability of predictive models. In addition, the lack of experimental validation at full or near-real scale has limited the applicability of research results. Many existing systems face limitations in dynamic adaptability, such as high costs, complex maintenance, and high weight, and they do not perform optimally under variable environmental conditions. These challenges indicate the need to develop an integrated system that combines dynamic design, simulation data (software and experimental), and optimization methods within a unified framework. The main objective of this research is to develop and validate a parametric, sensor-based dynamic double-skin façade system that can improve building energy consumption performance and daylight performance, aiming to enhance indoor environmental quality for occupants. First, the proposed module is designed and prototyped through a parametric workflow derived from traditional Iranian geometry. Second, its performance is experimentally characterized in terms of optical behaviour, quantified by the shading coefficient, and its kinetic response under controlled operating conditions. Third, the study numerically estimates the CO₂ saving potential of the proposed system across four representative Iranian climates, in order to evaluate its broader environmental applicability.