Frontiers of Adaptive Design, Synthetic Biology and Growing Skins for Ephemeral Hybrid Structures

The history of membranes is one of adaptation, from the development in living organisms to man-made versions, with a great variety of uses in temporary design: clothing, building, packaging, etc. Being versatile and simple to integrate, membranes have a strong sustainability potential, through an essential use of material resources and multifunctional design, representing one of the purest cases where “design follows function.” The introduction of new engineered materials and techniques, combined with a growing interest for Nature-inspired technologies are progressively merging man-made artifacts and biological processes with a high potential for innovation. This chapter introduces, through a number of examples, the broad variety of hybrid membranes in the contest of experimental Design, Art and Architecture, categorized following two different stages of biology-inspired approach with the aim of identifying potential developments. Biomimicry, is founded on the adoption of practices from nature in architecture though imitation: solutions are observed on a morphological, structural or procedural level and copied to design everything from nanoscale materials to building technologies. Synthetic biology relies on hybrid procedures mixing natural and synthetic materials and processes

Frontiers of Adaptive Design, Synthetic Biology and Growing Skins for Ephemeral Hybrid Structures

The history of membranes is one of adaptation, from the development in living organisms to man-made versions, with a great variety of uses in temporary design: clothing, building, packaging, etc. Being versatile and simple to integrate, membranes have a strong sustainability potential, through an essential use of material resources and multifunctional design, representing one of the purest cases where “design follows function.” The introduction of new engineered materials and techniques, combined with a growing interest for Nature-inspired technologies are progressively merging man-made artifacts and biological processes with a high potential for innovation. This chapter introduces, through a number of examples, the broad variety of hybrid membranes in the contest of experimental Design, Art and Architecture, categorized following two different stages of biology-inspired approach with the aim of identifying potential developments. Biomimicry, is founded on the adoption of practices from nature in architecture though imitation: solutions are observed on a morphological, structural or procedural level and copied to design everything from nanoscale materials to building technologies. Synthetic biology relies on hybrid procedures mixing natural and synthetic materials and processes

Rethinking Adaptive Building Skins from a Life Cycle Assessment perspective

Adaptive building technologies have opened up a growing field of research aimed at ensuring indoor comfort while reducing energy consumption in buildings. By focusing on flexibility over short timeframes, these new technologies are, however, rarely designed for sustainability over their entire lifecycle. This paper aims to address an information gap between the research field of architectural Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the state of the art of adaptive façades, by presenting an analysis of the main aspects in traditional and adaptive façades that are relevant to understanding whether parallels can be drawn between available LCA databases. The literature is reviewed following an inductive method based on a qualitative data collection aimed at answering a list of research questions, and a deductive method starting from the descriptions of adaptive building envelopes. The findings highlight four main points: i) where and how adaptivity is integrated, ii) the design targets that are able to reduce the environmental impact, iii) the importance of a qualitative as well as a quantitative LCA of the technology, and iv) lists a number of knowledge gaps currently limiting the diffusion of LCA as a design and verification tool in Adaptive Building Skins

Benefits of Using Plants in Indoor Environments: Exploring Common Research Gaps

The introduction of green plants in indoor spaces has raised a great amount of interest motivated by plants’ supposed capacity to improve the quality of indoor built environments. Subsequent studies have covered a broad range of topics, testing plants in indoor environments for their climate-mitigating effects, acoustic benefits, potential energy savings and the enhancement of the indoor microbial communities. Despite the diversity of focus in these studies, no major breakthroughs have been made involving the use of plants in indoor environments after nearly thirty years of research. To identify major inconsistencies and gaps in the research, this review, of an explorative nature, presents an analysis of plant-related parameters reported in 31 cases of experimental research involving the use of plants in indoor environments. The papers were identified by searching the online databases Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Scopus and MDPI and were selected based on their relevance to the topic and diversity of focus. Two classifications in table form provide an overview of the 38 plant-related parameters used in the reviewed research. The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the tables highlight a strongly anthropocentric frame of reference across the majority of the studies, which prioritize human and experimental convenience above plant physiology, and display an overall scarcity and inconsistency in the plant-related parameters reported

Componenti Innovativi in Argilla per l'Architettura Sostenibile: Elementi Massivi a Prestazioni Migliorate

L involucro dell'edificio è diventato negli ultimi vent'anni un laboratorio di frontiera, nel quale l'interfaccia architettonica è sentita alternativamente come schermo riflettente, pellicola opaca e/o trasparente, cortina protettiva. Il contributo dato dall'architettura verso una sempre più diffusa e controllabile qualità ambientale è oggi un elemento caratterizzante qualsiasi azione progettuale volta a modificare gli assetti fisici e relazionali dell'abitare nella direzione della più ampia e globale questione della sostenibilità ambientale e della eco-efficienza dei luoghi ove abitiamo. In questa direzione vanno le sperimentazioni, presentate in questo testo sull'argilla, materiale edile per eccellenza, che si sono interfacciate e confrontate con le tante significative esperienze condotte negli ultimi anni da molti centri di ricerca del panorama internazionale. A questo scopo si indagano le innovazioni chimiche del materiale, quelle di forma e di posa in opera prodotte dalla ricerca avanzata sui materiali argillosi con il fine di restituire i parametri progettuali, tecnologici, economici e tecnico-scientifici per una concezione diversa degli usi e delle forme dell'argilla

Mapping of LCA parameters as a tool for the design of sustainable cycle-based adaptive building skins

Life cycle assessment is broadly used as a verification tool in the last stages of the building design, posterior to the actual phase where decisions regarding building parts and components are made, failing to exploit its potential for designing a sustainable cycle-based synergetic architectural system. The method of comparing alternative building technologies is extensively adopted by many authors although LCA studies cannot be directly compared, due to differences in goal and scopes of the study, system boundaries and methodologies used. In the context of adaptive facade design additional key factors have to be considered. The paper presents therefore definitions and mapping of the main parameters characterising the Life cycle assessment of dynamic building skins in order to create a general framework and a supporting design method as an alternative to a case to case analysis. The outcome consists of a systematic mapping of LCA parameters, incorporated into the existing design models. It allows the assessment of complementary factors in adaptive building skins' design and their influence. Adopting a different approach to the LCA will hopefully support the creative design and innovation to go beyond the existing boundaries of current available technologies

Autoreactive architectural facades – discussing unpowered kinetic building skins and the method of evolutionary optimization

Kinetic responsive surfaces are recently being consistently explored in building skins to introduce spatial and energetic adaptability. However, the growing use of computer-controlled systems has increased the overall energy dependence, requiring the search for more ft solutions. This paper explores the development of autoreactive systems – unpowered kinetic devices, embedding functional materials, triggered by changes in the surrounding latent energy conditions – and is divided in three steps. The first step describes the concepts at the base of the design, defining motion parameters and mapping reactive and autoreactive motion patterns. The second step analyses 20 examples of kinetic architecture (powered and unpowered) in the framework of that mapping. The third step introduces a method to apply the parameters and the mapping through a process of cumulative selection. The paper is therefore a contribution in terms of content and of method to the development of autoreactive technologies. The outcome is meant to be used as an alternative to a case to case study, allowing a more conscious fast choice between design solutions. Autoreactive architectural facades – discussing unpowered kinetic building skins and the method of evolutionary optimization

Recurring moving patterns in nature for a biomimetical optimization of autoreactive systems

Today, cheap technology and the exponential success of computer-controlled kinetic devices in architecture open up a wide range of new possibilities, increasing however the systems' dependence on energy, failing to exploit the true potential of ephemeralization. Simple devices can be designed to give autonomic kinetic response with zero energy input by integrating materials reacting to latent energy changes in the environment. Yet, the key to auto-reaction lies in the optimization of the system's design: the device must be fit enough to achieve the greatest movement with a minimal effort. This can be obtained by individuating the best combinations of geometrical factors, motion type, actuation and transmission through the biomimetic study of mobile patterns in nature, where many of these problems have found a solution through millions of years of evolutionary trial. The paper analyses three different complementary aspects describing motion, which have in the context of the biological systems evolved together. Each part consists of a brief definition of the principal parameters characterizing each specific feature, deduced from the observation of biological organisms, and a systematic classification of these aspects into categories. The first part considers the geometrical and morphological aspects connected to motion transmission. Bodyplan features reflect specific locomotory techniques which are strongly connected to the geometrical form of the elements: inertia, weight, energy absorption. In the second part, movement control together with actuation techniques are deepened, discussing a broad frame of design possibilities in matter of actuation, antagonism, control centers, and motion transmission mechanisms. The third part deepens the relationship between motion patterns and the proprieties of the media with which they come into contact. These three categories of investigation are successively compared and systematized to individuate recurring combination-patterns

Review and Mapping of Parameters for the Early Stage Design of Adaptive Building Technologies through Life Cycle Assessment Tools

Adaptive Building Technologies have opened up a growing field of architectural research aimed at improving the overall building performance, ensuring comfort while reducing operational energy consumption. Focusing on flexibility over short timeframes, these new technologies are however rarely designed within the broader frame of sustainability over their entire lifecycle. How sustainable these zero energy technologies really are is yet to be established. The purpose of the research is to develop a flexible easy-to-use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool to support creative innovation and sustainable design choices in the early concept and design stages of Adaptive Building Technologies. This paper reports on the results of the first step of the research, providing a mapping in terms of structure and contents of the parameters involved in the design of these technologies. Addressed from a holistic point of view, the elements of the system were defined though a qualitative approach: relevant parameters were collected through document analysis, reviewing the state-of-the-art technology through online databases as ScienceDirect, Scopus, MDPI, ResearchGate, and organized according to hierarchy and relevance in the different life cycle stages. As a result, the paper identifies (1) relevant parameters defining the design of Adaptive Building Technologies; (2) materials, processes and concepts specific to the design of these technologies, as compared to conventional building technologies; (3) issues and knowledge gaps to enable successive research phases; (4) specific actions in each life cycle stage for designers and producers to optimize the design of the technology. The mapping graphically and hierarchically organizes the elements of the system within a flexible structure to be implemented and integrated over time, as the technology evolves, to support parametric design and enable alternative design concepts to arise within a cradle-to-cradle perspective

A design-based LCA framework for Adaptive Building Skins - Planning for short-term reaction with long-term sustainability

With the aim to address the sustainability of life cycle aspects in adaptive building skins a mapping of the main parameters and variables characterising the Life cycle assessment of Adaptive Building Skins (henceforth ABS) is proposed. At present, Life Cycle Assessments of building skins are mainly carried out in a later design stage and especially after construction, although stakeholders surveys have highlighted the need for providing tools for the assessment of the environmental impacts during the early design phase which are not a limit to the design creativity. . This mapping outlines a method to optimize ABS component ’s design by combining LCA parameters. indicated the steps of an LCA process that includes identifying the goal and scopes, the system boundaries and the processes that are expected to produce an impact. By analogy, the mapping includes these steps. A systematic approach allowed to conceive ABS as a system characterized by Quantitative and qualitative LCA parameters are listed, and the e ffective LCA inputs needed for quantitative calculations are arranged by Life cycle phases with a hierarchical list of building’s products composing the building skins. A connection scheme between processes of operational sustainable categories and functions. A systematic scheme links the sustainable requirements to supporting functions. A systematic review of the state of the art of ABS illustrates what an adaptive building skin is, where it is located in the adaptive feature, how and when it functions and why these are built. Among the LCA parameters investigated in the Production phase it can be highlighted the Scale of adaptation and the type of System’s family. In the Construction stage the transport of envelope’s super-components to the building site is energy consuming, considering the need of special means of an ABS so there is no doubt that operational parameters must be considered such as Service life and Adaptability