CONCEPT

Creating a sustainable house in Egypt means regulating the amount of sun and heat allowed into the house. Creating a skin outside the house which initiates a buffer zone to cool the air before entering the house is one of the elements of the core created in oriental house. This house uses an oriental screen to regulate the temperature of the house.

Combining the traditional tensile materials to the oriental idea of the Combining the traditional tensile materials to the oriental idea of the mashrabiya, the screen of this sustainable house was created. It further uti-lizes the sun energy to automatically adjust the intensity of shading. The screen of the house is made of a double layer of modern tensile structure combined with a biometal which expands and contracts due to heat. The engaged biometal extends the textile when its hot and contracts it when it’s cold, creating a natural automatic system in response to the environment. The screens are further flexible and user adapted as the most up and down The screens are further flexible and user adapted as the most up and down creating multi-layers to increase the shading intensity. The screens slide to the sides regulating the amount of allowed sunlight and creating an inti-mate terrace on the western façade.

SUSTAINABLE  TENSILE

MATERIALSTM                  Grade        PVC

Architectural  G.  PVC

Commodity          G.PVC

Waterproof            LDPE

PTFE      coated      glassPTFE      coated      glass

Waterproof                PVC

Permeable  PVC  Mesh

Permeable  Shadecloth

E N V I R O NM EN TA L        

TENSILE    BENEFITSTransparency  

UV-­‐Resistant

Light  Weight

Rapid      onsite  installation

Graphic              customization

Fabrics  are  Fire  RetardantFabrics  are  Fire  Retardant

Low  cost,  Robust  Durable

Flame-­‐resistant  mesh  fabric  

Details

scale  1:20

Materials  and  structures  are  capable  of  deform-­‐

ing  and  returning  to  an  original  size  and  shape  

without  permanent  deformation.  Bistable  struc-­‐

tural  mechanisms,  organized  with  elastic  spring  

steel  strips  and  pin  connections,  in  the  form  of  

an  aperture,  are  then  investigated  as  a  capaci-­‐

tor.   The   capacitor   utilizes   prestressed   struc-­‐

tural  strips  which  deform  an  aperture  by  means  

of   a   passive   thermostat   coil   actuator.   The   in-­‐

creasing  storage  of  elastic  strain  energy  is  pro-­‐

grammed  to  rotate  and  close  the  aperture  at  a  

maximum  stressed  position,  at  which  point,  it  is  

capable  of   releasing  the  stored  kinetic  energy  

with   a   decrease   in   heat   input,   triggering   the  

mechanism  to  open  the  aperture  instantly.  The  

arrangement  of  the  self  adjusting  shade  system  

is  organized  and  manipulated  spatially  through  

a  variety  of  prototype  developments  as  a  pas-­‐

sive   glass   enclosure   for   the   east   and  west   fa-­‐

cades  of  buildings

Scale  1:50

OPERATION

Bistable  mechanism  (capacitor)  which   is  programmed  to  deform  an  aper-­‐

ture,  complying  to  variable  thermal  loads  and  direct  solar  radiation  to  pro-­‐

vide  shade  and  thermal  comfort  regulation  between  an  exterior  and  interior  

space.Elastic  properties,  precedents  and  materials  are  studied  and  modeled  

to  identify  the  maximum  stress  and  strain  force.

Expanded                                                                                                  Contracted    

Biometal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Biometal

(hot)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (cold)

South  Elevation                                                                                                                                                                                                Scale  1:50

Section  A-­‐A                                                                                                                                                                                  

North  Elevation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Scale  1:50

Section  B-­‐B                                                                                                                                                                                  Scale  1:50East  Elevation                                                                                                                                                                                            

Terrace