Kinetic Architecture: Design for Active Envelopes

A shift in the architecture industry’s focus in the last 20 years toward
ecological concerns, long-term value, and user comfort has coincided with
significant new developments in digital controls, actuators, shading
typologies, building physics simulation capability, and material performance.
This collision has afforded architects an expanded set of opportunities to create
architecture that can respond directly to environmental conditions, resulting
in innovative façade designs that quickly become landmarks for their cities.

Authors Russell Fortmeyer and Charles Linn trace the historical
development of active façades in modern architecture, and reveal how
contemporary architects and consultants design and test these systems.