Dynamic solar façade optimises Alpine chalet
Zurich Soft Robotics has completed the first application of the Solskin system for a private customer. The adaptive solar façade from the Technopark Zurich-based start-up combines photovoltaics and dynamic solar shading on the outer skin of a former ski lift cabin.
Zurich Soft Robotics(ZSR) has equipped an Alpine chalet with its dynamic, intelligent Solskin solar façade. This order in the St.Gallen municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann is the first application for a private customer. According to a statement from the spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH), which was founded in 2022 and is based in Technopark Zurich, the dynamic solar system on the former ski lift chalet was designed to improve energy efficiency and aesthetics, preserve the alpine charm of the existing architecture and optimise natural daylight.
Solskin consists of numerous small and thin photovoltaic panels mounted on actuators. These in turn sit on a metal support net and are moved individually by compressed air. This allows the panels to follow the sun and increase the yield of solar power by up to 40 per cent compared to static panels.
At the same time, these panels also function as a dynamic shading system. The software automatically adjusts the adaptive solar façade using artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms to maximise solar yield, heat reduction and daylight. “Among other benefits, depending on project details, orientation, Solskin surface, etc., it can reduce the need for cooling and heating of the space behind it by up to 80 per cent, helping to save on operating costs,” Vesna Kosorić, Head of Sales and Architecture at ZSR, is quoted as saying in a report by ETH.
“At first it was a dream, then a gamble,” ZSR quotes Thomas Greber, the owner of the chalet, in its press release. “Together, we have achieved more with this façade than we could have imagined: a very satisfactory construction time and a convincing result in all areas. We are happy with that.”