Thermo-Bimetal Building
As we begin to talk about sustainability in architecture, I can't help but think about what sustainability truly means to me. Often times, I feel that architects try to complicate buildings to have the most sustainable technologies, instead of just looking to the past and the simple way that buildings used to be sustainable, with no complicated technology.
It is important to design buildings in a way that will allow for passive strategies and connection with nature, but it seems that there may be no escape from the incorporation of technical elements in architecture. We might as well stop fighting, and embrace it.
A lot of discussions have been about "breathable" buildings, creating buildings that change and act more like a living creature, in order to better take advantage of natural ventilation and daylight. One such example that I came across was Doris Sung's use of responsive thermo-bimetals that change as they are heated or cooled. Doris and her team have been researching and experimenting with certain combinations of metals that curl as they are heated. When they design them into facade and screening systems for buildings, they are able to take advantage of natural ventilation and the sun's energy.
When the metals are heated, they curl, opening up a pattern to allow more flow of air into a space. As the outside temperature decreases, the metals fold back down and become a closed facade. This approach to facade systems allows for the building to change with the sun throughout the day, but does not require complex sensors or the use of energy to make the facade change.
It is important to design buildings in a way that will allow for passive strategies and connection with nature, but it seems that there may be no escape from the incorporation of technical elements in architecture. We might as well stop fighting, and embrace it.
A lot of discussions have been about "breathable" buildings, creating buildings that change and act more like a living creature, in order to better take advantage of natural ventilation and daylight. One such example that I came across was Doris Sung's use of responsive thermo-bimetals that change as they are heated or cooled. Doris and her team have been researching and experimenting with certain combinations of metals that curl as they are heated. When they design them into facade and screening systems for buildings, they are able to take advantage of natural ventilation and the sun's energy.
https://youtu.be/V17Lp1X0_ao
I agree, I believe that denying application of the advanced technologies is a dead end. Technologies are just our next evolutionary step. We are developing and the technologies also are. All tendencies show that we are heading toward "smart"/educated/ecological use of technologies.
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