digital aptitudes - Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012 - 12:30PM - 2:00PM
Technology
“Soft” Kinetic Network (SKiN)
Vera Parlac, University of Calgary
Richard Cotter, University of Calgary
Todd Freeborn, University of Calgary
Adam Onulov, University of Calgary
The SKiN project consists of small scale prototypes of an adaptive
kinetic surface capable of spatial modulation and response to
environmental stimuli. The emphasis is on the nature of material
systems in the built environment and their capacity for change and
adaptation. Elements, structure, surface and performance of the
developed networked kinetic material system are designed as integrated
layers that make up a “tissue” capable of accommodating
dynamic nature of human occupation.
The “Soft” Kinetic Network (SKiN) surface is organized around
the network of embedded “muscle” wires that change shape under
electric current. The network of wires provides for a range of
motions and facilitates surface transformations through soft and
muscle like movement. The material system developed around the
wire network is variable and changes its thickness, stiffness, or permeability
within its continuous composite structure. The variability
in the material system enables it to behave differently within surface
regions; to vary the speed and degree of movement; to vary
surface transparency; to enable other levels of performance such
as capture of heat produced by the muscle wire and distribution
of heat within the surface regions. The main idea is that variability
of the material system can bring us closer to the seamless material
integration found in biological organisms.
Our focus on seamless material integration and capturing of emitted
energy hints at our broader goal that architectural intervention
should find a more productive place within larger ecologies.
We are very much interested in suspending a challenge of finding
a non-permeable and clearly defined boundary between inside
and outside in exchange for a surface that fosters constant flow
of information, matter and energy. One possible application of the
SKiN is to provide a heated surface/street furniture/structure that
is capable of mediating environment in cold climates in order to
make outdoor public spaces active year-round. The Skin Surface
has capacity to register weather conditions as well as number of
people around the structure and to adjust accordingly. Energy that
structure uses to adjust its shape to the climatic conditions is captured
and transferred into heat that in return mediates temperature
around/on/below the surface.
The developed SKiN prototypes are part of an ongoing research
project in responsive systems in architecture. It is driven by an interest
in adaptive systems in nature and a desire to explore the
capacity of built spaces to respond dynamically and adapt to
changes in the external and internal environment. “Smart” systems
(sensors, actuators, and controllers) and kinetic parts (movable
architectural components) are embedded into surfaces to enable
spaces we inhabit (homes, workplaces, streets) to sense, respond
and interact with us. The goal is to develop technologies and designs
that are capable of transforming static building components
into active responsive surfaces that produce added functionalities
in architectural spaces. Buildings that could sense and respond to
environmental changes and interact with their users can operate
more synergistically within larger ecologies and therefore move us
closer towards more sustainable future.
54 - ACSA 100th Annual Meeting
Biomanufactured Brick
Ginger Dosier, American University of Sharjah
“People used to say that just as the 20th century had been the
century of physics, the 21st
century would be the century of biology... This would, inevitably,
involve new technique, new vision, new models of thought, and
new models of action.“
Christopher Alexander, The Nature of Order
What if we could grow architectural materials with microorganisms?
The built environment is constructed using a limited palette of
traditional materials: concrete, glass, steel, and wood. These traditional
materials contain a high-embodied energy, with components
of concrete and steel mined from non-renewable resources.
Forty-percent of global carbon dioxide is linked to the construction
industry, primarily due to material production and disposal.
Traditional brick manufacturing requires the use of energy intensive
processes for vitrifying clay particles into hardened materials.
It is estimated brick production alone emits over 800 million tons
of carbon dioxide each year.
Simple organisms create hard mineral composites in ambient temperatures,
such as coral and calcium carbonate shell structures.
Sporosarcina Pasteurii, a nonpathogenic common soil bacterium
and naturally found in wetlands, has the ability to create a biocement
material that can fuse loose grains of sand. A hardened
material is formed in a naturally occurring process known as microbial
induced calcite precipitation [MICP]. The material is made
by mixing specific quantities of bacteria, urea and calcium chloride
in a matrix of aggregate, and allowing the biological and chemical
reactions to take place. The resulting material exhibits a composition
and physical properties similar to natural sandstone, and takes
a few days to complete. The manufacturing process is similar to
hydroponic gardens, whereby bricks are grown similar to farming
practices Current structural tests exhibit equal compressive
strengths of clay fired brick.
The bioengineering method for growing architectural materials is
pollution free, with a low embodied energy, and can occur in a range
of temperatures: 10-50 C. As traditional brick construction is heavily
dependent on burning natural resources such as coal and wood, this
reliance results in increased carbon dioxide emissions and a greater
dependency on limited energy sources. The process of manufacturing
biological building units is economical as the large portion of the
raw materials are found on site. Experiments have been conducted
using a variety of aggregate matrixes with large success; these include:
sand, soil, recycled glass, fly ash and plastics.
Biological brick manufacturing can be achieved utilizing traditional
casting methods, or articulated by digital tooling to fabricate layered
units with a programmed material composition.. The use of 3D printing
technologies is economically driven as it generates little waste, accommodates
a variety of potential materials, provides a high degree
of accuracy, and allows for infinite variation. Digital brick models can
be designed to specifically and precisely locate mineral templates for
growth and different sizes of aggregate for structure.
Employing bacteria to naturally induce mineral precipitation, combined
with local aggregate and rapid manufacturing methods, this
research seeks to define and commercialize a local, ecological, and
economic building material for use throughout the global construction
industry.