Every discipline has its visionaries, and in the area of green structures it has to be the architects, engineers and scientists who are turning static structures into living, breathing adaptive buildings. Think big when it comes to adaptable buildings because they blend science, nature and technology in ways that turn ordinary buildings into structures that respond to dynamic environments.
One type of adaptive building called biomimetic relies on nature for inspiration. This strategy has created buildings that cool like termite mounds, have envelopes that are involved in gaseous exchanges like leaves, and can collect water like the "fog beetle" collects dew.
Adaptive buildings incorporate a variety of strategies that employ state-of-the-art technology like microchips embedded in building materials to act as sensors that prompt energy reducing actions or electrochromic windows that lighten and darken without human intervention. Rather than serving as mere shields separating occupants from the weather, the buildings act like natural organisms.
Anyone involved in sustainable building practices knows that the remarkable ventilation systems found in large African termite mounds inspired the ventilation system used to keep the Eastgate Centre shopping and office complex in Zimbabwe cooled and energy efficient. The adaptable system uses only 10 percent of the energy a static system would use. Termite mounds have a remarkable capability to stay cool in the hottest weather. The secret is the ability to regularly open and close air vents, as air is pulled in at the base and circulated throughout the mound through convection.
As remarkable as the termite mound example may seem, there are far more sophisticated and futuristic projects in progress.
The Philips project Sustainable Habitat 2020 is a far-future design concept in which electronics and bio chemical functionalities are integrated to create functional skins or building membranes that act like organisms and can react to the environment. The membrane collects and transports water, air and light, and once perfected will enable a building to function off the grid.
These are just two of several products that have the same theme – adaptability and responsiveness. The adaptive building surfaces are likely to become important elements in the future for also protecting inhabitants from natural disasters, an important point as climate change produces increasingly severe storms and other events.
Adaptive Building Initiative is a recognized leader in designing adaptable buildings. The company, a joint venture between BuroHappold and Hoberman Associates, has developed or partnered with other companies to create branded products for intelligent surfaces.
Tessellate (ABI and A. Zahner Co.) surface modules are screens with perforated patterns that can continually shift and evolve to adapt to the climate. They regulate solar gain, light, airflow, ventilation, views and privacy.
Another example is Adaptive Fritting, a "living glass" used on building facades. The integrated glass unit has a moveable graphic pattern that adjusts its transparency to manage solar gain, light, privacy and views.
These are just a couple of the remarkable products already being used.
Transformative Buildings that Care About Occupants
The possibilities of adaptable buildings are endless because of the dynamic relationship between the structure and the environment.
The Media ICT building is a "performative building" in Barcelona, Spain, that was designed by architect Enric Ruiz Geli. Named the World Building of the Year in 2011, the advanced design was called performative architecture by Geli because the building performs through the use of new materials, connectivity and nanotechnology. Two of its four sides have a pneumatic façade of EFTE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) cushions that are layers of plastic blown up like a balloon. The south side has EFTE cushions absorbing six hours of sunlight per day and breathing like lungs, inhaling and exhaling to trigger sensor-controlled sun shading. The southwest façade's EFTE cushions fill with nitrogen as they respond to rising temperatures due to six hours of sunlight exposure each day. The nitrogen serves as a solar filter, blocking heat while also filtering light, and replaces the traditional air conditioning system.
The architects and engineers thinking futuristically have already put some early designs into operation, though they are small efforts compared to what is coming over the next 30 years. Some of the most interesting and most beautiful are the biomimetic buildings. Even more impressive is the fact that many of the new concepts are being used to make life nicer for the underprivileged who have grown accustomed to living in monotone government-built structures.
A Slovenia housing complex was modeled after a beehive and each "cell" or apartment is offset from its surrounding neighbors. The balconies are staggered, giving apartment dwellers privacy. They also serve as important energy saving elements. Each balcony has textile shades over the top and textile elements on the front, both of which serve to block direct sunlight in the summer and to preserve warm air in the winter. The low-income apartment complex for young adults and families has natural ventilation, includes solar shading, and is painted with cheerful bright colors.
Healthier, Safer, More Comfortable
The building elements work together rather than independently as they adapt to real-time conditions. There are building skins acting like leaves, windows darkening and lightening in response to the weather, walls shape-shifting, terrace and roof gardens providing insulation for occupants while bringing nature to the most concrete of cities, room-controlled lights and heating/AC systems turning on and off as people move about, HVAC units managing themselves while communicating with the building skin, and much more.
These elements are only possible because of technology. Sensors and sophisticated custom computer algorithms control the movements and functioning of building elements.
One end goal is to make most buildings in the world net zero, meaning the energy used is offset by the energy contributed. At the same time, the dynamic buildings offer occupants healthier, more comfortable and safer environments. Other benefits include significant savings in operating costs and capital investments.
The first challenge is retrofitting the energy-hogging existing buildings with new technologies and materials. This is an area with unlimited business opportunities for companies ready for future.
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