Exploring the Potential of Thermo-bimetallic Facades for Enhancing Daylighting in Office Buildings in Cairo, Egypt

The growing energy consumption in office buildings highlights the urgent need for sustainable design solutions. While adaptive facades have been introduced to address this challenge, their complexity and energy demands have limited their effectiveness. Thermobimetals (TBM), with their responsive properties to temperature changes, presented an innovative approach to passive building systems. This study explored the potential of thermo-bimetallic facades as a sustainable solution for enhancing daylighting in office buildings in Cairo, Egypt. The study used a methodology that selected the appropriate thermal bimetal, according to its activity and response range of temperature, studied daylighting metrics for office environments in Egypt, and created different iterations for the façade grid. Simulations on critical days and times along the year were conducted, followed by annual analysis and energy consumption study, with analytical comparison done between the different cases. Results showed that thermo-bimetallic facades can significantly enhance daylighting performance with different choices in Cairo's hot arid climate offering lower energy consumption and better climatic adaptability.