DESIGN OF A SMART STRUCTURED SKIN TO CAPTURE SOLAR ENERGY: AN EXPERIENCE OF INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY COOPERATION

This paper demonstrates the relevance of collaborative interdisciplinary work to address technological research, as well as observing the user's viewpoint. Necessary process stages are presented for the innovative design to generate a structured layer for building facades, capturing sunlight to convert it into energy. The proposal contributes to a zero-energy building concept addressing constructive adaptability aspects to be included in existing buildings or new architectural projects, incorporating electronic elements and photovoltaic glass with luminescent solar concentrators in a supporting structure. Different specialties and the collaboration between academia and technology centers are coordinated under a crossed information methodology, where approaches and proposals are arranged in a stan- dard methodological process. Finally, a replicable integrated systemic model is generated, favoring the coordinated actions of diametrically different disciplines, from a statement of roles and the knowledge of capacities for each one. The designer's performance consists both in the ideation of appropriate proposals based on the project requirements, and the execution o f actions, like compiling, hierarchizing, integrating, harmonizing and synthesizing both theoretical and empirical contributions. It is concluded about the need to establish parameters for joint work in complex development environments, and the capabilities required from a designer regarding conceiving the product and managing harmoniously the actions necessary to reach cm optimal result of research.