This Fascinating Material Can Breathe on It's Own
Everyone desires fresh air, optimal sunlight, and a building kept at a comfortable temperature - not too cold in the winter and not too hot in the summer. While many buildings can achieve this level of comfort through an individual intervening and adjusting features of the building, architect Doris Kim Sung has proposed a building that automatically responds to the changing environment and doesn't require any human intervention.
Architect Doris Kim Sung has used her former biology degree to invent building materials that react to the environment without the need for human intervention. When discussing the material, Sung suggests that the material is comparable to human skin in the sense that it is dynamic and responsive to the environment. In the video above you can watch as the "Bloom" model is constructed.
The building skin uses thermo-bimetal, which is a material made of two thin layers of metal that each have a different coefficient of expansion. In the event of temperature rising, one side of the metal heats faster than the other and causes the entire metal to curl upwards. If the metal is exposed to direct sunlight, instead of curling upwards it will curl shut or may open up vents to release hot air. In the video above you can see how the material reacts to varying temperatures and the sunlight.
Since the thermo-bimetal curls depending on the temperature and is fully functional without the use of power, Sung believes it is the definition of a zero-energy building. Watch the video above to learn more about the material and the vision that Doris Kim Sung has for the future.
Source: Architizer
