In architect Doris Kim Sung’s ideal future, buildings will automatically respond to changes in the environment.
“For a long time, my work has examined why architecture is static and nonresponsive, and why it can’t be more flexible like clothing,” said Sung, assistant professor of architecture at the USC School of Architecture. “Why do we have to adapt to architecture rather than architecture responding to us? Why can’t buildings be animated?”
At first, Sung explored mechanical building movement, like sliding walls and levered floors. Then, she hit upon a material that had never before been used in architecture: a metal alloy that responds automatically to changes in air temperature and heat.
“When I first got a sample of thermobimetal from the manufacturer, I felt like a kid. I just had to go outside and put it in the sun and watch it curl over and over,” Sung said. “I could not believe there was no energy required.”
Commonly used for the coil in a thermostat, “thermobimetal” is made of two sheets of metal laminated together. Each metal expands at a different rate when heated, curling as the temperature rises and flattening when cooled.
But the possibilities for buildings are even broader, especially since thermobimetal is not just completely zero-energy but actually reacts to changing environmental conditions. Imagine a canopy that curls shut when the sun is directly overhead, or a vent that opens automatically to let out hot air when it gets a bit stuffy inside.
With “Bloom,” a 20-foot tall undulating installation in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Sung has made these ideas a reality. She’s received multiple grants to further her research with thermobimetal, including one to reskin an Airstream trailer in this dynamic smart material, so it can fan open and air out on particularly hot days.
“This would not have been possible a few years ago. We didn’t have the technology to cost effectively cut thermobimetal so that no two pieces are alike, and we didn’t have the software to tessellate complex surfaces into pieces that can be fabricated,” Sung said.
Thermobimetal is only available in 6-inch or 12-inch wide sheets, so the large “Bloom” structure had to be made of 14,000 small pieces, each one completely unique.
Sung is now working on ways to integrate thermobimetal with standard building components. Most conventional construction projects are still built in the method of stackable systems, so Sung is developing a glass panel that sandwiches a layer of thermobimetal and, like a shutter, automatically prevents the sun from penetrating the building by curling when heated. She’s also working on bricks with tiny thermobimetal vents to let the breeze through, inspired by biological systems like insect spiracle and trachea systems.
“We have to rethink the way we build, and what we build with. If we don’t, our problems will only get worse,” Sung said. “Being a researcher in smart materials and architecture right now is tremendously exciting. This is the time we’re going to change our future.”
“Bloom” was built in collaboration with consultant Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter and structural engineer Matthew Melnyk, and is installed at Materials & Applications Gallery in Los Angeles through Spring 2012.
2 Comments
Comments via GLEN SMALL
THANKS FOR INTERESTING ARTICLE. A COMMENT OR TWO.
THERE IS NOTHING 'ZERO-ENERGY' ABOUT THIS MATERIAL. FIRST, THE METAL MUST BE MANUFACTURED AND PROCESSED INTO A FORM FOR USE. SECOND, A VERY SOPHISTICATED FABRICATION PROCESS IS REQUIRED TO NOT ONLY BOND THE TWO METALS TOGETHER, BUT TO DO IT IN WAY THAT WILL PRODUCE PREDICTABLE RESULTS FOR VARIOUS DEVICES. THIRD, CONSTRUCTION OF ANY FORM THAT RELIES ON BIMETAL THERMAL REACTIONS WILL BE QUITE SOPHISTICATED REQUIRING HUMAN AND TECHNOLOGICAL ENERGIES. FOURTH, THE OPERATION OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT WILL REQUIRE THE EITHER THE DIRECT USE OF THE SUN'S ENERGY, OR SOME OTHER SOURCE OF MANUFACTURED HEAT. THIS IS NOT 'ZERO-ENERGY'.
I DON'T KNOW HOW AN AIRSTREAM TRAILER IS INSULATED. I ASSUME IT COULD BE WELL INSULATED IF ONE CHOSE TO DO IT. THE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE SURFACE OF THE TRAILER GOES A LONG WAY IN REFLECTING SUN ENERGY. SO IF THE ISSUE IS HEAT BUILD-UP INSIDE, THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE INSULATION AND A SEPARATE CANOPY OVER THE TOP TO KEEP DIRECT SUN FROM THE TRAILER ROOF. THE HIGH STRESS TIME OF OUTSIDE HEAT IS NOT THE TIME TO OPEN UP THE SKIN TO LET THE OUTSIDE OVERHEATED AIR INSIDE. IF YOU ADD EVAPORATIVE COOLING TO THE SYSTEM, THEN AIR FLOW THROUGH MOISTURE WILL COOL. ANOTHER SYSTEM THAT REQUIRES ENERGY TO CONSTRUCT AND MAINTAIN. ANIMALS AND PLANTS IN THE HOT DESERT LEAD THE WAY IN SHOWING HOW AND WHEN TO CLOSE OUR SKINS AND WHEN TO OPEN. IN A MODESTLY INSULATED HOME WITH DOUBLE PANE WINDOWS, IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN COMFORTABLE INSIDE TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT A HIGH NINETY DEGREE DAY. SIMPLY SHADING THE WINDOWS AND KEEPING ALL OPENINGS CLOSED WILL DO IT. A SMALL FAN FOR INSIDE AIR MOVEMENT AND MINIMAL COOLING FROM EVAPORATION OF SWEAT HELPS TOO. AS SOON AS THE OUSIDE TEMP FALLS BELOW THE EIGHTY DEGREES INSIDE, THE SKIN IS OPENED AND EXCESS HEAT IS DUMPED OVERBOARD.
CURRENT SYSTEMS THAT SENSE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIALS WITH MICRO-PROCESSORS THAT CAN OPEN AND CLOSE MOST ANY KIND OF WINDOW, VENT, ETC. SEEM MORE CONTROLLABLE AND PREDICTABLE, CAN BE EASILY RE CALIBRATED IN EXQUISITE DETAIL TO RESPOND TO THE CONDITIONS THEY ARE MEANT TO MANAGE. THERMOBIMETALS AS DESCRIBED, ARE FABRICATED TO RESPOND IN ONE WAY ONLY. HOW DOES ONE RECALIBRATE, FINE TUNE SUCH A SYSTEM THAT IS IN PLACE? THE ABILITY TO RESPOND CYBERNETICALLY TO CURRENT INFORMATION, IS WHAT SETS OUR CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGIES APART FROM THE PAST. THIS CYBERNETIC RESPONSE MECHANISM IS ASKING THE THERMOBIMETAL TO ALLOW ITSELF TO BE RESTRUCTED, REPROGRAMED OVER AND AGAIN IN ORDER TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO CONDITIONS. AT THIS POINT, THE THERMOBIMETAL IS A ONE DIMENSIONAL TECHNOLOGY SET IN MOTION AT THE FACTORY. I WONDER IF THE BONDING OF LARGE AREAS OF TWO METALS TO OPERATE IN THIS MANNER WILL WORK. VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE ACROSS THE SURFACES MIGHT CAUSE UNEVEN REPONSES, WHICH IN ITS OWN WAY COULD BE INTERESTING, SORT OF LIKE THE MULTIPLE INTERFERENCE WAVES THAT CREATE A CHOPPY SEA.
AS ARCHITECTS, WE LOOK FOR PREDICTABLE SYSTEMS, THAT CAN BE MEASURED AND CONTROLLED. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN INSPIRATION AND MANIFESTATION WE ARE REQUIRED TO QUANTIFY THE QUALITIES OF OUR INSPIRED DESIGNS. THAT'S THE HARD PART, BEING WITNESS TO THE ONSLAUGHT UPON THE SPIRIT BY THE MATERIAL WORLD. AND YET WE GO BACK FOR MORE AND TRY AGAIN. I DON'T THINK I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE CREATING A MILLION DOLLAR SKIN WITH FACTORY DETERMINED ONE RESPONSE TO TEMPERATURE. WITH COMPUTERS IT IS POSSIBLE TO CREATE A SKIN WITH INFINITE RESPONSES. CERTAINLY, SUCH A SKIN WOULD BE ANALYGOUS TO ANIMAL AND PLANT SKINS.
MUCH OF YOUR INTEREST IN LITERALLY GREENING THE CITY GOES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, I BELIEVE. SIMPLY GROWING TREES THAT SHADE THE PAVEMENT AND CREATE GOOD AIR, AND GREEN ROOFTOPS THAT REDUCE ENERGY DEMANDS IN BUILDINGS CAN BE REVOLUTIONARY FOR A CITY. CAN COOL IT DOWN TEN OR TWENTY DEGREES. A START.
Comment from GLEN SMALL's blog part 2
GLEN,
I WROTE MESSAGE ON THERMOBIMETAL FROM A FEELING OF DISAPPOINTMENT THAT UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS ARE TOUTING THEIR 'RESEARCH' PRODUCT AS 'ZERO-ENERGY'. AND SEEM TO HAVE LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF ENERGY DYNAMICS. CERTAINLY, THERE IS A PLACE IN ARCHITECTURE FOR RESEARCH. EVERY PROJECT HAS AN ELEMENT OF RESEARCH IN IT. THIS RESEARCH CAN BE SCALED UP UNTIL IT DISAPPEARS INTO THE VAST MIND SPACE OF THE SCIENCES, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, AESTHETICS AND CONCERNS OF THE SPIRIT. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE IS SUPERCEDED BY A MYRIAD OF ABSTRACTIONS.
TO CONCEIVE, DESIGN, BUILD AND OCCUPY A WORK OF ARCHITECTURE THAT IS BOTH TECHNICALLY TRUE AND ARTISTICALLY SUBLIME, ONE THAT FULFILLS ITS PROGRAM IN AN ELEGANT MANNER, IS A GRAND ACCOMPLISHMENT. THE ONE INSPIRES THE MANY.
SUCH WORKS WILL HAVE UNKNOWN EFFECTS. I BELIEVE THAT ONE OF MY PROJECTS ACHIEVED A MODEST DEGREE OF SUCCESS. THE MOST REWARDING COMMENT OF THE CLIENT IS THAT THEY ALWAYS FEEL BETTER, ARE UPLIFTED, AFTER BEING IN THEIR HOME A WHILE. SOMEHOW, THE WORRIES AND AGGRAVATIONS THAT THEY BRING FROM THEIR LIFE IN THE WORLD, FALL AWAY AS THEY ENTER THEIR HOME. OTHERS ARE AFFECTED ALSO. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING TO BEING PATIENT, QUIET AND AWARE, IN ORDER TO DISCOVER, OR UNCOVER THE SPIRIT OF THE PLACE. THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPER, MORE FUNDAMENTAL, THAN MAPS AND DIAGRAMS, SOIL STUDIES AND MATERIALS, FASHION AND STYLE, EVEN FORM AND SPACE. THIS IS SUBTLE WORK, BUT I BELIEVE, VERY MUCH WITHIN THE PROVENCE OF ARCHITECTURE; IN FACT WHAT IS MISSING MUCH OF THE TIME IN WHAT IS CALLED ARCHITECTURE.
HAVING ESCAPED FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL LIFE LONG AGO, I'VE HAD TO LIVE THESE YEARS BY MY WITS. TAKING BIG BITES OF THE ARTIST'S LIFE UNTIL THERE WAS NO FOOD ON THE TABLE TO SUSTAIN MY 'HEROIC' EFFORT, I CAST ABOUT FOR WHATEVER DESIGN WORK I CAN FIND. INTERESTINGLY, ONCE I IMMERSE MYSELF IN THE DESIGN PROCESS, BECOME TRULY INTIMATE WITH WHATEVER THE PROJECT IS ABOUT, I FEEL ABOUT THE SAME WHETHER IT IS GREAT OR SMALL. I'VE NEVER MADE MORE IN A YEAR THAN AT BEST ONE-HALF THE SALARY (WITH ALL SORTS OF PERKS) OF A USC ASSISTANT PROFESSOR. SO, I'M PRETTY MUCH WHO I AM. A LONG WAY FROM THE MASS KILLER I WAS TRAINED TO BE AS A NAVAL AVIATOR. OF COURSE, A YOUNG MAN HARDLY MORE THAN A BOY, WHO WAS NOT FULLY CONSCIOUS OF HIS CONDITIONING AND THE ROLE HE WAS GIVEN TO PLAY, WAS HIMSELF THEN TOO.
I BELIEVE, THAT SINCERE ARCHITECTS MUST INSIST UPON CLEAR THINKING: FRESH, IN THE MOMENT, COMPREHENSIVE, DISPASSIONATE, SO THAT THE ACTUALITY NOT THE IMAGE OR ILLUSION OF A PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN AND APPREHENDED. HABITUAL REACTION TO NEW SITUATIONS WITH OLD SOLUTIONS, LEAVES WHAT WE KNOW AS THE POTENTIAL OF ARCHITECTURE ON THE SIDELINE.
THE CONCEPT OF AN ARCHITECTUAL SKIN THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM, IS A FUNDAMENTAL CONCERN, UNIVERSALLY COHERANT. THE ONLY WAY TOWARD A TOTALLY RESPONSIVE SKIN HAS TO DO WITH INFORMATION HANDLING. AT THIS MOMENT MY SKIN, AT EVERY SQUARE NANOMETER IS RESPONDING TO THE COMPLEX OF INFORMATION THAT INFORMS THIS MOMENT. PORES OPEN OR CLOSE, NERVES DANCE ALIVE WITH ELECTRICITY, BLOOD RUSHES TO WARM A COOL SPOT, PERSPIRATION FLOWS WHERE IT IS OVERHEATED, THE SUNLIGHT SIGNALS THE MECHANISM TO PRODUCE VITAMIN D.
THIS IS A MODEL FOR AN ARCHITECTUAL SKIN. PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS ELEGANTLY EMMULATE THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESS OF LEAVES, THE SKIN OF LEAVES. AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE SOLUTION. COVER APPROXIMATELY ONE % OF THE EARTH WITH PV AND THE ELECTRICAL POWER PROBLEM IS SOLVED. MONEY AND POWER AND POLITICAL WILL LACKING ARE IMPEDIMENTS TO TRANSFORMATION. THIS THERMOBIMETAL TECHNOLOGY FITS INTO AN OVERALL PICTURE, BUT IT'S HARD TO SEE IT BEING AS CENTRAL AS THE ARTICLE IS SUGGESTING. AND THAT'S WHAT IS DISAPPOINTING, THAT USC SUPPORTS THIS HIGHLY TECHNICAL SIDESHOW RATHER THAN PUBLISHING AN ARTICLE WHICH ACTUALLY GRAPPLES WITH THE REALITIES AND COMPLEXITIES OF A TRULY RESPONSIVE SKIN.
THE FINER THE INFORMATION WEB THE MORE RESPONSIVE THE SKIN. IT'S ALL UP FOR GRABS: CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ELEMENTS RESPONDING CYBERNETICALLY TO COMPUTER DIRECTED MICROPROSSESORS. SPONTANEOUS, IN THE MOMENT, CONTROLABLE, ADAPTIBLE. IT'S NOT A TIME FOR FINE ARCHITECTURAL MINDS TO GET STUCK IN TECNOLOGICAL NOVELTY. IT IS THIS MIND, WHICH HAS THE CAPACITY, THE VERY IMPORTANT CAPACITY IN THESE FRAGMENTED, DIGITALIZED TIMES, TO SEE RELATIONSHIPS, TO SEE THE WHOLE, TO ORGANIZE THE VAST ARRAY OF DISPARATE PARTS INTO COHERANT SOLUTIONS THAT SERVE THE LARGER PURPOSE OF OUR PRESENCE HERE ON EARTH.
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