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Bechthold, Martin

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Bechthold

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Martin

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Bechthold, Martin
Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.b87a6712-78cc-4713-8f7b-b326ce6e5b72

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    Dynamic daylight control system implementing thin cast arrays of polydimethylsiloxane-based millimeter-scale transparent louvers
    (Elsevier BV, 2014) Park, Daekwon; Kim, Philseok; Alvarenga, Jack; Jin, Keojin; Aizenberg, Joanna; Bechthold, Martin
    The deep building layouts typical in the U.S. have led to a nearly complete reliance on artificial lighting in standard office buildings. The development of daylight control systems that maximize the penetration and optimize the distribution of natural daylight in buildings has the potential for saving a significant portion of the energy consumed by artificial lighting, but existing systems are either static, costly, or obstruct views towards the outside. We report the Dynamic Daylight Control System (DDCS) that integrates a thin cast transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based deformable array of louvers and waveguides within a millimeter-scale fluidic channel system. This system can be dynamically tuned to the different climates and sun positions to control daylight quality and distribution in the interior space. The series of qualitative and quantitative tests confirmed that DDCS exceeds conventional double glazing system in terms of reducing glare near the window and distributing light to the rear of the space. The system can also be converted to a visually transparent or a translucent glazing by filling the channels with an appropriate fluid. DDCS can be integrated or retrofitted to conventional glazing systems and allow for diffusivity and transmittance control.
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    Pneumatically adaptive light modulation system (PALMS) for buildings
    (Elsevier BV, 2018) Hinz, K.; Alvarenga, Jack; Kim, Philseok; Park, D.; Aizenberg, Joanna; Bechthold, Martin
    This research introduces a novel approach to control light transmittance based on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films that have been plasma-treated such that micro-scale surface features have a visual effect as the film responds to applied strain. The effect is continuously tunable from optically clear (71.5% Transmittance over a 400-900 nm wavelength) to completely diffuse (18.1% T). Changes in the film's optical properties are triggered by bi-axial strains applied using a pneumatic system to form pressurized envelopes. This paper reports on a series of experimental studies and provides system integration research using prototypes, simulations and geometric models to correlate measured optical properties, strain, and global surface curvatures. In conclusion, a design is proposed to integrate PDMS light control within existing building envelopes.
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    Integrated Environmental Design and Robotic Fabrication Workflow for Ceramic Shading Systems
    (International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction, 2011) Bechthold, Martin; King, Nathan; Kane, Anthony Owen; Niemasz, Jeffrey; Reinhart, Christoph
    The current design practice for high performance, custom facade systems disconnects the initial façade design from the fabrication phase. The early design phases typically involve a series of iterative tests during which the environmental performance of different design variants is verified through simulations or physical measurements. After completing the environmental design, construction and fabrication constraints are incorporated. Time, budget constraints, and workflow incompatibilities are common obstacles that prevent design teams from verifying, through environmental analysis, that the final design still ‘works’. This paper presents an integrated environmental design and digital fabrication workflow for a custom ceramic shading system. Using the CAD environment Rhinoceros as a shared platform the process allows the design team to rapidly migrate between the environmental and the fabrication models. The recently developed DIVA plug-in for Rhinoceros allows for a seamless performance assessment of the facade in terms of daylight. Glare and annual energy use are addressed through connections to Radiance, Daysim and EnergyPlus simulations. A custom Grasshopper component and additional Rhino scripts were developed to link the environmentally optimized CAD file via Rapid code to a novel ceramic production process based on a 6-axis industrial robot. The resulting environmental design-to- manufacturing process was tested during the generation of a prototypical high performance ceramic shading system.
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    Designing Biologically-inspired Smart Building Systems: Processes and Guidelines
    (Multi-Science Publishing Co. Ltd., 2013) Park, Daekwon; Bechthold, Martin