SOLAB Survey – Facade integration examples
Cases n°3 and n°5
These integrations were considered definitely unsuccessful by the architects, even though the other actors of the construction process were less negative. In both buildings the solar collector is used as a decorative element applied to the wall without any construction and/or composition logic. The colour of the collectors does not seem to affect the appreciation of the global integration, even though the black collectors of Ex. 3 were unanimously defined as unacceptable, and the coloured collectors of Ex. 5 were rated as almost acceptable by the architects and even as good by the engineers.
Case n°4
This case presents a renovated building with integrated glazed collectors. Engineers consider the architectural quality of the integration good, while for architects it is just acceptable. The glazed solar modules of the system cover all and only the blind wall of the lateral façade, characterizing and differentiating it from the contiguous façade, while the wall of the lateral facade turns the angle and continues in the main façade. The architectural characteristics of the building would have required the same wall finishing for the two facades, as it was before the renovation process. In this example the solar system fits the façade but is not part of the building’s composition logic. The size and shape as well as the colour of the module, considered to be acceptable but not good by the architects, are considered a good choice by the engineers.