Students in Barcelona wanted to explore how physical spaces could someday morph based on various environmental inputs. The result: a material dubbed Translated Geometries, which Wired describes as a composite material using shape memory polymers that can deform and return to their original state when activated by cues like heat, humidity, and light.
The students at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya—Ece Tankal, Efilena Baseta, and Ramin Shambayati—told Wired that the invention is a toward “an architecture that isn’t so rigid, that tries to be more attuned with its environment.”
Wired writer Liz Stinson argues that adaptable modular components could save on material by serving dual purposes.
To learn how this composite works, read the full story on Wired, and watch the video below.
?ranslated Geometries from Efilena Baseta on Vimeo.
Related Stories
![Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/datylight.jpg?itok=akEDpIQ8 "Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]")
Daylighting | May 30, 2017
Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]
To some project teams, “daylighting” means using glass area to admit direct sunlight, period.
![Security begins when you close the door [AIA course]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/security.jpg?itok=NVwecLpz "Security begins when you close the door [AIA course]")
Security/Fire Protection | May 30, 2017
Security begins when you close the door [AIA course]
Selecting door and window systems for any building project demands a complete articulation of safety and security concerns.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Industry Groups move toward Unified Green Building Model Code in 2018
The effort involves combining ASHRAE's Standard 189.1 with the International Green Construction Code.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements
New floodplain maps and state code changes loom.
Codes and Standards | May 30, 2017
Heated debate over whether Calif.’s prevailing wage requirement stymies affordable housing
There’s disagreement around how much pay regulations add to cost of projects.
Reconstruction & Renovation | May 30, 2017
Achieving deep energy retrofits in historic and modern-era buildings [AIA course]
Success in retrofit projects requires an entirely different mindset than in new construction, writes Randolph Croxton, FAIA, LEED AP, President of Croxton Collaborative Architects.
Architects | May 26, 2017
Innovations in addressing homelessness
Parks departments and designers find new approaches to ameliorate homelessness.
Architects | May 26, 2017
BIG plans: Architecture isn’t Bjarke Ingels Group’s only growth path
Kai-Uwe Bergmann, the firm’s head of global business development, says engineering and urban planning are key opportunities. And how about that Hyperloop?
Museums | May 25, 2017
The museum as workspace
Many museum staff are resistant to the idea of open offices.
| May 24, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Applying machine learning to building design, Daniel Davis, WeWork
Daniel Davis offers a glimpse into the world at WeWork, and how his team is rethinking workplace design with the help of machine learning tools.
