The concept of a building which contains movement within its design might sound like something out of science fiction, but today’s kinetic architecture accomplishes that feat. The installation of a kinetic façade allows parts of the building to maintain their structural integrity while operating independently. Sometimes, the intention of a kinetic façade system has a purpose; other times its objective is to create an esthetic effect. With a Danpalon kinetic panel, a building’s color, lighting, translucency and opacity change, depending on the angle from which the panel is viewed.

How Kinetic Architecture Has Evolved From Its Medieval Beginnings

Innovative technology has led to the invention of polycarbonate, a building material that’s key to the mystery of what makes a building move. Polycarbonate that’s superior in quality employs an extrusion technique which allows the Danpalon kinetic panel to integrate colored surfaces alternately so that they are arranged in a diagonal formation between the outer skins.

Of course, polycarbonate wasn’t around in the Middle Ages, and the defensive fortifications of the time were not built with a dynamic façade. There’s not much of a market for drawbridges in today’s commercial sector, but the architecture of that time period created parts of buildings which moved for a specific purpose. However, not until the early 20th century did architects find ways to advance that rather primitive form of kinetic architecture into something exciting and contemporary as the futurist movement redefined the landscape.

Today’s Danpalon kinetic panel owes its unique properties to the research and development of the Danpal company, but kinetic architecture has its roots in the architectural theoretical aspects explored by famous academics like Buckminster Fuller. It took awhile, but by the 1980s, the kinetic façade system so familiar to 21st century design was making its imprint upon the cutting-edge architectural landscape, and the public liked what it was seeing.

Kinetic Architecture And Its Moving Parts

The knights in armor of the Middle Ages valued their castles and keeps—and drawbridges—as part of their military defense network. The movement that takes place in today’s buildings has quite a different purpose.

Now, as different technologies like robotics have become more commonplace, kinetic architecture is a familiar sight all over the globe. Buildings today are designed to function in harmony with the environment. Occupants of a building aren’t threatened by battering rams or flaming arrows; the contemporary threat facing consumers comes from environmental conditions that can cause damage. A kinetic façade enables a building to adapt its responses to the environment.

A dynamic façade might present a particular function that a static structure is incapable of offering. Consider the stadium where your favorite team plays. Some have roofs that can retract or be deployed based on the weather conditions at the time of the game. A retractable roof can ensure the comfort of spectators if the weather turns from sunny to stormy. The playing surface itself can actually be stored safely during the off season, when poor weather might inflict damage upon it. This feature protects the playing surface.

Esthetics also matter in today’s kinetic architecture. The Danpalon kinetic panel’s animated facades create a dazzling esthetic image which turns a building into a work of art. An impressive range of integration options meets high light transmission, thermal, and sound insulation standards thanks to Danpal’s quality technical and mechanical properties and connector system.

What To Expect When You Install A Danpalon Kinetic Panel

With the animated façade, a building takes on a dynamic appearance that redefines architectural esthetics.

• The ventilated exterior cladding system meets energy efficiency requirements.
• The skylight, which fits all the Danpal skylight systems, creates functional roofing with flair.
• Two colors in a single Danpalon kinetic panel transform the building into an eye-catching wonder to behold. And the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing the colors, because Danpal offers so many combinations.

Kinetic architecture had its beginnings in the long-ago past, but today has come into its own by meeting today’s environmental standards and dazzling esthetics. No drawbridge could ever have achieved that!