Performance Analyses of the D’aDif Pavilion

All over the world, during the past as well as today, different kinds of buildings in different climate zones use the envelope, and in particular way the cover, to operate on the inner thermal and visual comfort. Vernacular tradition shows that textile skins allow creating adaptive envelopes that integrate principles of active control. This paper presents the results of the optimization design process of an adaptive umbrella configured in a double covering system for a small temporal pavilion. The pavilion is characterized by a small inner space with changeable dimensions and an adaptive enclosure. Materials like coated fabrics as well as lightweight structures like aluminum frames are combined together and used in an innovative architectural solution. Due to the transient nature of the analyzed building, the great challenge is to guarantee an adequate level of inner thermal comfort all over the year and in different climate zones and conditions. The research starts from the assumption that membranes combined with lightweight structures provide some special properties to temporal small buildings, like easy transportability and installation. The umbrella, used in a double roof consisting of three different textile layers, define an active responsive covering directly controlled by users in order to obtain shading and air flow permeability depending on the seasons and the environmental conditions. The computerized analysis has been carried out by means of the software package Energy Plus which allowed the simulation of a wide range of alternatives for the external envelope (cover, materials, layers, air gaps etc.) and the comparison of the performance in several climatic conditions to respond to user's requirements.