AI-based dynamic module for variable thermal insulation makes glass facades more energy efficient in high-rise residential and office buildings
In recent decades, the skylines of the world's cities have changed beyond recognition. Office towers and residential towers are rising to new heights, most of them wrapped in a shiny shell of glass. In Israel, too, and especially along the Ayalon Corridor in Tel Aviv, this trend is striking – most The Towers The new ones are built with transparent facades made of glass. There are two main reasons behind the choice of glass: the technological development that has enabled the rapid production of high-quality glass, and an architectural and design preference that has made the transparent shell a distinct design element of modern towers. But alongside the aesthetic benefits, this comes at a heavy environmental cost.
A glass building envelope, no matter how impressive, has difficulty insulating the interior of the building properly. As a result, these buildings consume enormous amounts of energy for cooling and heating, which greatly pollutes the environment and increases their carbon footprint. About פי Data According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the building sector is one of the world’s largest energy consumers. Building activity is responsible for about 30 percent of global energy consumption and about 26 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions (8 percent direct emissions from buildings and 18 percent indirect emissions from the production of electricity and heat used in buildings). These figures illustrate the extent to which the building sector is contributing to the climate crisis and how reducing energy consumption in buildings can be key to combating global warming. In addition, glass has become a symbol of energy-efficient buildings.
The pollution of beauty
To tackle the problem, a new Israeli startup called Sky Walls (Sky-Walls) is currently developing innovative technology in the field Cleantech (Cleantech). This technology aims to change the rules of the game and make transparent facades smarter and more energy-efficient – and keep the towers tall, shiny and much less wasteful.
“Glass buildings present a complex dilemma with conflicting requirements,” explains Hilani Yelouz, the company’s systems engineer and chief technology officer. “On the one hand, the glass envelope allows natural light to enter and creates an open and airy feeling, but on the other hand, it causes heat loss in the winter and overheating in the summer – leading to the greenhouse effect and increased energy consumption for air conditioning,” she explains.
Sky-Walls aims to bridge the gap between the architectural benefits of glass construction and the critical need for energy efficiency. It is developing a smart, innovative module that is embedded in glass facades. “Our autonomous facade module is installed directly on the existing glass panels in the building,” explains Yelouz. “By using AI, the technology allows heat to be retained or released as needed. The system allows curtain walls to be transformed from passive systems to dynamic systems, automatically adjusting the solar heat gain to the internal and external conditions at any given moment,” she adds. Simulations show up to 30 percent energy savings for heating and cooling the building. This way, the environmental impact of skyscrapers can be reduced and they can be made sustainable.
The technology developed by the company has been patented and is based on the principle of dynamic thermal insulation. That is, the glass envelope consists of two glass panels – an outer and an inner – with a layer of air between them. When the air trapped between the panels is static, it serves as an excellent and much more effective heat insulator than regular glass. On the other hand, when necessary, the system activates controlled air circulation, thereby reducing the thermal insulation properties of the glass envelope according to the environmental conditions and the energy requirements of the building. At times when the building is too hot, the heat trapped inside the building can be released to the outside through processes of conduction and convection – physical processes for transferring heat, thanks to the temperature difference between the inside and outside. The technology makes it possible to maintain the design advantages and natural light of the glass facades, while dramatically reducing energy consumption for air conditioning. It not only improves the energy efficiency of high-rise buildings but also brings the construction industry closer to meeting global sustainability goals.
Technology and budget for the environment
The startup Sky-Walls was founded in 2020, right on the cusp of the coronavirus pandemic – a period of global uncertainty, but also of technological acceleration and innovative breakthroughs. Behind the initiative is entrepreneur Oren Aharon, who holds a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering and a master's degree in industrial management, who set himself an ambitious goal: to develop a smart and efficient solution to the energy challenge of glass towers. Already in the early stages, the company gained government recognition, when it received a grant from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, designed to support innovative startups in the field of sustainability and energy efficiency. Success was not long in coming, and last year the company was awarded another grant from the Innovation Authority – a testament to the potential inherent in the technology developed by the company and its possible contribution to reducing energy consumption in high-rise buildings.
The product is currently in advanced stages of development, with the company's goal being to find a suitable site for an initial pilot, where the technology can be tested under real-world conditions. "We hope that the product will soon move into commercial production, and thanks to it we will see more and more towers significantly reducing energy consumption and thus contributing to the fight against global warming," says Yelouz. As the world searches for solutions to reduce the energy consumption of the construction industry, the planned pilot may be another significant step on the way to a broad commercial application and a significant revolution in reducing energy use, while maintaining the contemporary design line but with sustainability built in from the ground up.
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