Self-adaptive and sustainable buildings

Buildings of the 21(st) century will be able to adapt themselves to exterior or interior changes such as environmental conditions, functional needs, or availability and cost-effectiveness of different energy sources. Those buildings will be designed and operated in such a way so as to continuously optimize the life-cycle energy performance, while minimizing the environmental impacts. The research projects presented in this paper are inspired by the parallels between nature and building design and operation, and can be grouped under the following titles: continuous commissioning, dynamic thermal envelope, and design mimicking evolution.