Kinetic Architecture includes a foreword by Haico Schepers, Arup's façade designer for the landmark Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Watercube, built for the 2008 Olympic Games
The book features detailed case studies explaining how complex multilayered façade systems create energy efficient, architecturally distinctive, and sought-after places to live and work
Includes a technical glossary that defines key terminology in this emerging speciality area in architecture
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. Fortmeyer and Linn trace the historical development of active façades in modern architecture, and reveal how contemporary architects and consultants design and test these systems.