Adaptables2006, TU/e, International Conference On Adaptable Building Structures 8-187 Eindhoven [The Netherlands] 03-05 July 2006 Photochromic Glassfibre Reinforced Plastic Hui ZHANG School of Architecture Southeast University Si Pai Lou 2 Hao 210096, Nanjing P. R. China
[email protected] KEYWORDS photochromic materials, glassfibre reinforced plastic (GRP), photochromic GRP, adaptive building skin Paper Sunshine in summer is not always desirable. The summer sunrays that reach inside buildings with large glazed envelopes and windows can make computer work difficult, with strong glaring on computer screens seriously affecting working conditions. The heat gained through glazed envelopes and windows, and from the buildings’ skin, also burdens the building with increased cooling loads in summer. Among various solar control methods, the applications of photochromism are gaining increasing interest in architecture. Energy-absorptive photochromic systems and materials change their optical properties, such as color and light transmission, when exposed to the UV rays in sunlight and revert back to their original properties in diffused light. This material behavior can be used to control the effects of sunlight on the interior light environment and regulate lighting and heating levels for energy load management. At the present time, this photochromic effect is being applied in energy-efficient glazing, which can be either automatically or electrically switched from colorless (or weakly colored) to colored, or the inverse, in accordance with light conditions. These types of windows normally use glass panes as substrates which either have a photochromic coating or are laminated with photochromic films, or they are supplied with complicated device structures. Windows using the photochromic effect are just the beginning.