REVIEW OF KINETIC SHADING SYSTEMS IN THE UAE; CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Building envelopes under hot climates face a major design challenge that requires balancing daylight admission, heat control and aesthetical considerations. Inadequate design often results in overheated spaces that rely extensively on energy intensive mechanical systems to provide comfort. As a first response, conventional fixed shading devices have been widely used to control heat gain and glare. However, they face many limitations; such as their inability to move or be controlled in order to adapt to the changing external conditions. Active shading systems have been developed to counter such limitations. Active shading systems may be best categorized in three main types; smart glazing, kinetic external shading systems and renewable energy systems integrated to active shadings. This study focuses on the kinetic external shading systems because of their flexible adaptation to the extreme hot climate needs and requirements. This paper focuses on two main types of kinetic external shadings; the rotating and the folding shading systems. An extensive critical literature review was carried out to establish the status of knowledge of these two systems, where the function and the building application for each system were explored. Furthermore, limitations and future opportunities of the systems were identified. The review highlighted high integration opportunities for their o the extensively glazed buildings in the UAE, yielding multiple benefits such as reduction in the heat gain in buildings, in lighting and cooling loads, in energy consumption in the building and ultimately the energy cost.