SmartScreen puts a futuristic twist on glass-façade shading by adapting itself to a building’s thermal conditions. Shape-memory actuators—which expand or contract as temperatures fluctuate—activate the screen's textile surface. Like Jean Nouvel’s L’Institut du Monde Arabe, in Paris, SmartScreen operates on the principle of opening and closing "apertures"—but without the complicated machinery and power use. On hot days the shade shuts out sunlight to prevent the building from overheating, and on cooler days the perforations open up, allowing the interior to warm naturally. By relieving some of the burden of heating and air-conditioning, SmartScreen addresses a major culprit in energy consumption; buildings consume 40 percent of the U.S. energy supply, most of which is used to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures.

See the CDB Spotlight on the SmartScreen here.

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