Buildings That Breathe | Doris Sung's Living Architecture

Summary

This video explores the evolution of architecture towards responsive, human-centered design. The speaker shares their journey from questioning traditional static buildings to exploring innovative technologies like thermal bi-metals and dynamic facades. Through projects like Bloom and Tracheolus, they demonstrate how architecture can adapt to environmental factors like sunlight and temperature, reducing energy consumption and enhancing comfort. The speaker advocates for rethinking architectural norms, proposing that buildings should evolve, move, and respond to the needs of their inhabitants, ultimately creating more sustainable and adaptable living spaces.

Takeaways

• 😀 Architecture should accommodate the human body and respond to human needs, rather than being static.
• 😀 The concept of architecture as a 'skin' over time suggests a dynamic, responsive approach to building design.
• 😀 The integration of technology in architecture, especially building technology, is crucial for innovation and efficiency.
• 😀 The use of thermal bi-metals in architecture allows for adaptive, responsive surfaces that change with temperature to control ventilation and shading.
• 😀 The Bloom project uses bi-metal surfaces to react automatically to sunlight, mimicking a sundial for effective shading and ventilation.
• 😀 Grasshopper, a design software, was used extensively in the Bloom project to create complex forms and fabrication files for thousands of unique components.
• 😀 Solar analysis tools are essential in designing adaptive architecture, enabling precise calculation of sun exposure for responsive building features.
• 😀 Bi-metal walls integrated into window systems can reduce energy consumption by automatically shading buildings without using additional energy.
• 😀 The Tracheolus project explores integrating heating and cooling systems directly into the walls of buildings, using radiant systems instead of forced air.
• 😀 The goal of responsive architecture is to make buildings adaptable, flexible, and energy-efficient, challenging traditional notions of static design.
• 😀 Architects should consider new forms and materials that allow buildings to move and change in response to environmental conditions, rather than sticking to conventional shapes and materials.

Q & A

Why does the speaker question the static nature of traditional architecture?

The speaker believes that traditional architecture is too static, as buildings don't conform to the human body or nature. The speaker questions why architecture can't adapt to human needs and suggests that buildings should respond dynamically, like a skin.

What is the speaker's exploration of bi-metal technology in architecture?

The speaker explored the use of thermal bi-metals in architecture. This technology involves laminating two different metals together, which expand at different rates when heated, causing the metal to curl. This can be used as a surface material to control ventilation or shading in buildings.

How does the Bloom project demonstrate the use of bi-metal technology?

The Bloom project uses bi-metal surfaces that react to sunlight. As the temperature increases, the bi-metal tiles curl, adjusting to provide shading or ventilation. The form of the project is inspired by a sundial, and the surface responds differently at various times of day.

What role did software tools like Grasshopper play in the Bloom project?

Software tools like Grasshopper were crucial in the Bloom project. These tools helped design the form and generate the fabrication files for the 9,000 unique bi-metal tiles and 3,000 frame pieces, making it possible to produce the pieces efficiently without designing each one manually.

How does the use of solar analysis tools help in the design of Bloom?

Solar analysis tools were used to identify areas of the Bloom structure that received the most sun exposure. This helped in determining where the bi-metal surfaces needed to react to the sunlight for optimal shading and ventilation.

What is the potential application of bi-metal walls in window systems?

Bi-metal walls can be integrated into glass window systems, such as double-skin facades or as brise-soleil, on south or west-facing glass walls. These walls can automatically shade buildings with zero energy input, reducing heat gain and potentially lowering air conditioning costs.

What is the concept behind the Tracheolus project?

The Tracheolus project is a concrete block system designed to integrate heating and cooling within the building's walls, as opposed to using forced air systems. The system radiates temperature from the walls, providing a more efficient method of climate control.

How does the Tracheolus project use infrared heating?

In the Tracheolus project, infrared heaters are used to heat the air in a chamber, which then causes alternating pieces in the system to open and close. This process regulates the heating or cooling of the space by controlling the airflow.

What is the speaker's perspective on how architecture should respond to the environment?

The speaker advocates for a shift in architectural thinking, suggesting that instead of architecture being static, it should be dynamic and responsive. The speaker believes that buildings should change and move according to environmental conditions, with aesthetics not determined by traditional notions of what a building should look like.

What message does the speaker aim to convey through their architectural work?

The speaker aims to convey that architecture should be responsive to the human body, nature, and environmental changes. This includes integrating technology and materials that allow buildings to react to sunlight, temperature, and airflow, making architecture more adaptable and efficient.