Façade Idea #9 | Designing for Change
Designing Façades for Cities That Never Stop Changing
Buildings remain for decades.
Cities do not.
At OpenFace Day 2026, Arlind Dervishaj from KTH Royal Institute of Technology explored how façades can adapt to evolving urban environments.
A façade designed to evolve
New buildings appear. Existing buildings are renovated. Solar access changes over time.
The project proposes a parametric workflow capable of adapting façade modules to changing urban conditions while maintaining daylight performance, reducing glare, and improving energy efficiency.
Rather than replacing façade components as cities evolve, the concept allows elements to be relocated and reused, integrating circular economy principles into long-term urban development.
About the author
Arlind Dervishaj is a doctoral researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His work focuses on advanced building science, computational workflows, daylighting, and circular construction.