Heliodynamic Building Facades With Concave And Convex Solar Geometry

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing building designs that exploit solar radiation for maximum winter sunlight and minimal summer exposure face challenges in achieving a balance between solar radiation control, habitability, and architectural flexibility, particularly in collective housing, leading to limited heating and lighting contributions and potential overheating risks.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates both convex and concave truncated cone-shaped facade portions that exploit opposite solar trajectories, allowing for controlled sunlight exposure by using a fixed point above or below the facade, ensuring bright and cool interiors year-round through symmetrical and superimposed facade parts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If a transparent facade is designed to maximize solar radiation in winter, then heating and lighting contribution is improved, but overheating risk increases during summer

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating and lighting contributionVSAvoidoverheating risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The facade is divided into multiple transparent sections that can be independently controlled or designed with different solar radiation properties, allowing optimization of winter solar gain while limiting summer overheating in specific zones

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The facade incorporates movable or adjustable transparent elements that can change their orientation or position dynamically throughout the year, enabling maximum solar penetration in winter and reduced exposure in summer

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If the Heliodome shape is integrated into conventional construction, then interior space habitability is improved, but solar radiation control performance is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterior space habitabilityVSAvoidsolar radiation control
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Different portions of the facade are designed with locally optimized properties, where specific zones incorporate Heliodome-inspired geometry for habitability while other zones maintain strict solar radiation control performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The solution moves from two-dimensional facade平面设计 to three-dimensional spatial configuration, using depth and layering to achieve both habitable interior volumes and effective solar control through multi-level transparent structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Illumination intensity

If the Heliodome part surface area is extended to improve brightness, then interior illumination is improved, but solar radiation limitation during strong sunshine is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterior brightnessVSAvoidsolar radiation exposure
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple transparent facade layers are nested within each other, creating a multi-layered structure that allows light transmission while providing progressive filtering and control of solar radiation intensity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

Intermediate transparent elements or layers are introduced between the exterior environment and interior space, acting as mediators that diffuse and modulate sunlight to provide brightness while reducing direct solar heat gain

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach provides optimal sunlight utilization in winter while minimizing summer overheating, maintaining interior comfort and flexibility in architectural design, suitable for residential and public buildings.

Implementation Method 1

transparent to the sun's rays

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolar radiation: Solar Energy

Implementation Method 2

direct sunlight to the maximum

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDirect sunlight: Light

Implementation Method 3

designed to exploit direct sunlight to the maximum in winter, and to be exposed to it to a minimum in summer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSolar trajectory exploitation:

Data Source

PatentEP4399373B1Building with heliodynamic architecture
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 ALCER
  • EP4399373B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4399373B1 patent drawingFigure 1B~1C
  • EP4399373B1 patent drawingFigure 1D~2A

AI summary

The invention relates to a building the outer envelope of which comprises at least one facade portion (2) which is transparent to solar radiation, which is situated on a face of the building the shape of at least a part (3, 3') of which can be more less inscribed inside the surface generated by an imaginary segment extending between the sun and at least one fixed point (PF) that is fixed relative to the Earth, during a complete revolution of the Earth on itself, and therefore in the surface of part of a cone frustum generated by the aforesaid imaginary segment, said or each facade portion (2) extending between a base line (6) and a top edge (7) which together delineate it from the remaining part of the outer envelope of the building, which is predominantly or completely opaque. The building is characterized in that the exterior face of each aforementioned part (3, 3') of the facade portion (2) is, at each point on the top line (7), set back from a straight line perpendicular to the local horizontal plane, and therefore normal to the plane of the ground, and passing through this point, and in that at least one (3) of the aforesaid facade parts (3, 3') can be inscribed inside the surface of a cone frustum part that is recessed or concave relative to the face concerned.