## 2 Materials and Methods  
The design methodology was divided into three stages. The first stage consisted of the literature study, where the background information was accumulated to be applied in the design integration, including studies on the material properties and dynamic behavior. After setting a theoretical base, the following stage involved the design phase, which was informed in parallel by research and iterative performance evaluation studies in a feedback-loop process. In the performance analysis and evaluation stage, computational simulations were implemented to optimize the design. This was assisted by the feedback from the performance validation, to provide design variations in conjunction with energy and environmental simulations throughout the design process. These simulations received the weather and solar radiation data for the region of Athens, Greece (EPW weather data files obtained from the EnergyPlus online database [11]) and attempted a connection to the UHI and its impact on the microclimate and surrounding environment. Besides that, thermal behavior modeling under targeted conditions was realized in a CFD simulation software, as well as energy, radiation, and daylight simulations in different operation periods of the SMM-based shading device. The above iterative process was based on an interoperability toolchain workflow, where most of the digital tools were integrated in the same computational design environment (Grasshopper), transferring data from, and informing, each other in a feedback-loop logic. Figure 1 provides an overview of this toolchain analyzed for the purpose of each analysis study. The different plug-ins (Dragonfly, Ladybug, Honeybee) formed the base of the study analyses, where Dragonfly is able to generate and include urban climate data and conditions, addressing some of the UHI parameters, such as the albedo of materials and anthropogenic heat, which is accomplished with the help of the urban thermodynamic engine Urban Weather Generator [12]. Ladybug was focused on the solar radiation and sun ray trace analysis studies, while Honeybee was also targeted at the energy analysis and energy use intensity calculation. Throughout this data transfer and exchange, additional energy simulation engines were integrated, which were necessary for the processing of the energy simulation runs, such as EnergyPlus [11] and OpenStudio [13], together with Radiance [14], DaySim [15], and THERM [16], which targeted the more specific studies, such as daylight analysis (which was not covered in the current paper) and energy heat flow modeling. Based on the above workflow, the evaluation methodology consisted of assessing the SMM adaptive facade system's performance, based on the performed energy and environmental simulations. The objective was to estimate the impact of the system on the urban microclimate from the reflection of the solar radiation, as well as the effect on the reduction of the building's cooling demands. The study and evaluation of the performance of the proposed facade design were divided into two stages based on how they address the building's direct and indirect UHI impact, and can be explained as follows:  
* The first step was related to the direct UHI impact, which concerned the proportion of sun rays reflected towards the atmosphere, realized in a component, facade segment, and an urban level. This step was influenced mostly by the geometrical features of the component and the arrangement of the facade, considering a horizontal or a vertical arrangement of the component along a facade segment. * Once a sufficient proportion of the reflected radiation to the atmosphere was achieved (over 75%), the next evaluation criterion concerned the indirect impact, which was related to the building's energy performance, and more specifically, its cooling load demands.