Innovative display technique for the building envelope: A research on electrowetting as smart glazing

This thesis is about electrowetting. Electrowetting is an advanced display technique that is going to take a part in the display competition against LCD screens and LED displays. Display techniques are becoming very important for the building envelope. The desire to have a responsive or adaptive building skin has never been as serious as the coming decade. In 2020 the new policy with only energy neutral buildings will take effect. The consequence is a growing interest in building skins that are capable of fulfilling multiple comfort levels. The degree of complexity is desired to not be too much increased that it is almost too difficult to build. Next to that, its energy performance and durability are of key essence and co-review the qualities of the building skin. Electrowetting could be such new technique as an answer for the responsive building envelope, but its feasibility has to be evaluated first. The paper will start with the research question and a brief history of the development of the smart building skins, where after the electrowetting techniques and its properties are amplified. Chapter three evaluates the responsive building skin and the role of display techniques in this. Chapter four shows the potential applications of electrowetting with a preference for usage in the building skin, as was reviewed in the previous chapters. A performance simulation gives inside in the energy usage of one of the potential solutions for electrowetting. This is set out in chapter five. At last some design questions are still unanswered, i.e. the architectural benefits versus the increased comfort levels; this can be viewed in the last chapter before the conclusions. The conclusions finally discuss if electrowetting is feasible for the building envelope. The thesis is also providing some fundamental theories and basic formulas from different research fields, to not let this distract from the main story, those texts are cursive and always on the left page.Master Building TechnologyBuilding TechnologyArchitecture and The Built Environmen