Multi-criteria performance assessment of an adaptive kinetic photovoltaic shading system

This paper presents a multi-criteria performance assessment of KineticSKIN, a climate-responsive adaptive façade system that integrates thin-film photovoltaic shading devices into bifurcated folding modules. The analysis considers solar protection, visual comfort, solar energy harvesting, and an energy assessment of façade actuation, artificial lighting, heating and cooling demand, and net energy balance. Using ClimateStudio, Ladybug, and EnergyPlus, KineticSKIN configurations are compared with static louvres for three climates: Stuttgart, Cairo, and Dubai, at 12:00 on the summer and winter solstices. Results show that adaptive, split-controlled operation of the upper and lower wings reduces glare, regulates illuminance, and improves daylight distribution, achieving up to 46% lower solar heat gain in Stuttgart, 38% in Cairo, and 60% in Dubai, although cooling demand remains high in hot climates. User-preference scenarios reveal clear trade-offs: strategies that prioritise visual comfort and minimise glare increase artificial lighting and, in winter, heating demand, whereas configurations that optimise solar heat gain enhance overall energy efficiency. Thin-film photovoltaic infills with 5% efficiency generate sufficient energy to cover façade actuation and partially offset lighting demand, but not the building’s full operational needs. As an outlook, this study highlights the potential of the proposed photovoltaic shading façade system with full photovoltaic integration across the wings, using alternative material combinations and layouts that could yield approximately 50%–64% higher energy generation. However, the simulations also show that low-transmittance, full-integration solutions can compromise daylight quality, underscoring the need for carefully balanced, multi-criteria optimisation in the design of multifunctional, high-performance adaptive façades.