Adaptive skins: towards new material systems

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to shed light on the potentialities of smart material systems in architectural skins. The research on new materials has triggered new solutions, based on emergent technologies, for envelope design. Adaptive facades, exploiting stimulus-responsive materials and intelligent control systems, are able to change in response to environmental conditions, thus enhancing users’ comfort and improving energy savings. Two different case studies are here illustrated: the first is a dynamic shading system based on shape memory alloys; the second example concerns a soft-robotics weather-responsive skin. Both projects are described following the same workflow structure in order to highlight similarities and differences. Indeed, the sections are outlining the steps for design, simulation and fabrication of the case studies, and are divided as follows: description of the project, methodology and design strategy, simulation and prototyping.