Kinetic Facade Panel in Revit and Dynamo

For my final project in ARCH-653, I aimed to develop a dynamic facade using Revit and Dynamo to automatically adjust panels according to the sun's position. Here’s how I approached it:

Setting Up the Panel Family in Revit

For this sun-tracking facade project, creating a responsive panel family was essential. I started by designing a simple parametric panel family in Revit that could adjust its orientation based on the sun’s position, ensuring the panel could rotate in multiple directions, not just up or down.

Defining Rotation Parameters

The responsiveness of the panel hinges on two key parameters that track the sun's position:

Azimuth (AZI): Measures the sun's angle relative to the north on the horizontal plane.

Altitude (ALT): Represents the sun's height above the horizon.

These parameters are vital as they determine the panel’s orientation relative to the sun’s current position.

For the  adjustment, I used the following formula (Image 1)

     Image 1: Here, ‘height’ is the vertical distance from the observer to the sun, and ‘base’ is the horizontal distance between the       observer and the point directly beneath the sun.

 

Automating with Dynamo

I automated the panel adjustments using Dynamo by linking the panel parameters to the sun's real-time position. The script fetches current sun settings (azimuth and altitude) and applies them to the facade panels, allowing for continuous adjustment throughout the day to optimize sunlight capture and shading. (Image 3)

     Image 3: Dynamo Script

Visual Testing 

After implementing the Dynamo script, I conducted several visual tests by altering the time of day in Revit’s solar settings to observe the panels' responses. This testing was crucial to ensure that the panels accurately aligned with the theoretical sun position at various times. The GIF Below shows how the panels change according to the sun angle. 

   

Generative AI inside Revit

And then, I conducted some AI experiments. My model was quite basic, and I did not assign any materials to it. For this experiment, I wanted to see if AI could render my model based solely on my prompt. To do this, I used Veras to generate the renders. After the render, I took one of the images to Prom.ai and created a small video clip.

Although this was primarily a technical exercise, it serves as a practical solution to reduce energy consumption and improve indoor environmental quality. By automatically adjusting to the optimal angle, the facade maximizes natural light while minimizing heat gain, enhancing sustainability and comfort. This project highlights the potential of integrating architectural design with automated systems, paving the way for smarter, more responsive buildings. Harnessing and adapting to natural elements like sunlight efficiently is a significant step forward in sustainable architecture.