Biomimetic Adaptive Building Envelopes: Multifunctional Adaptations For Multi-Regulation Environments

Building envelopes, the interface between outdoor and indoor spaces, are often seen as barriers to adapting to environmental changes. In contrast, nature offers extensive adaptation strategies. Modern buildings consume excessive energy for heating, cooling, and lighting, contributing to climate change, global warming, and air pollution. For billions of years, living organisms have adapted without disturbing the natural balance. Most adaptive building envelopes can only adapt to a single environmental factor, even with biomimetics synthesis. Achieving multifunctionality in contemporary building envelopes requires a multi-regulation system for environmental factors, as functional requirements are complex and often conflicting. A comparative analysis of adaptive biomimetic building envelopes, examining 20 relevant papers and 10 built examples, was conducted to identify unique mechanisms and strategies provided by biomimetics. This analysis aims to present suitable adaptive building envelopes that enhance indoor comfort and reduce energy consumption.