flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Must See: Shape-shifting architecture that responds to heat

Must See: Shape-shifting architecture that responds to heat

Students in Barcelona have created 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.


By BD+C Staff | September 10, 2014
Translated Geometries, shape memory polymer
Translated Geometries, shape memory polymer

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

| Nov 11, 2011

By the Numbers

What do ‘46.9,’ ‘886.2,’ and ‘171,271’ mean to you? Check here for the answer.

| Nov 11, 2011

Streamline Design-build with BIM

How construction manager Barton Malow utilized BIM and design-build to deliver a quick turnaround for Georgia Tech’s new practice facility.

| Nov 11, 2011

AIA: Engineered Brick + Masonry for Commercial Buildings

Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam. 

| Nov 11, 2011

How Your Firm Can Win Federal + Military Projects

The civilian and military branches of the federal government are looking for innovative, smart-thinking AEC firms to design and construct their capital projects. Our sources give you the inside story.

| Nov 10, 2011

BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards

A total of 13 projects recognized as part of BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards.

| Nov 10, 2011

Grousbeck Center for Students & Technology opens doors

New Perkins School for the Blind Building is dedicated to innovation, interaction, and independence for students.

| Nov 10, 2011

Skanska Moss to expand and renovate Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

The multi-phase terminal improvement program consists of an overall expansion to the airport’s footprint and major renovations to the existing airport terminal.

| Nov 10, 2011

Suffolk Construction awarded MBTA transit facility and streetscape project

The 21,000-sf project will feature construction of a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge over Ocean Avenue, an elevated plaza deck above Wonderland MBTA Station, a central plaza, and an at-grade pedestrian crossing over Revere Beach Boulevard

| Nov 10, 2011

Thornton Tomasetti’s Joseph and Choi to co-chair the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Outrigger Design Working Group

Design guide will describe in detail the application of outriggers within the lateral load resisting systems of tall buildings, effects on building behavior and recommendations for design. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Healthcare Facilities

Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

Join the Building Design+Construction editorial team for this on-demand webinar on key trends, innovations, and opportunities in the $65 billion U.S. healthcare buildings market. A panel of healthcare design and construction experts present their latest projects, trends, innovations, opportunities, and data/research on key healthcare facilities sub-sectors. A 2024-2025 U.S. healthcare facilities market outlook is also presented.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021