How Thermobimetal is shaping Eco-Responsive Architecture | Doris Sung

Summary

In this video, Dor Sung, founder of Dosu Studio Architecture and co-founder of TBM Designs, explores the future of environmentally responsive architecture. He discusses the need for buildings that adapt to climate change without relying on energy-intensive systems. Through innovative materials like thermal bi-metal, he envisions self-shading, self-ventilating, and energy-generating structures. Sung emphasizes the importance of redesigning building envelopes as dynamic, smart, and passive elements to reduce energy consumption and emissions. He also highlights projects such as smog-eating panels and solar turbines, calling for more sustainable, innovative designs in architecture.

Takeaways

• 😀 Dosu Sung is the head of Dosu Studio Architecture, a research-based design firm focused on environmentally responsive architecture.
• 🌱 The firm is committed to breaking the traditional architecture model by integrating climate-responsive solutions into building design.
• 🔬 Dosu’s work challenges the notion of sealed, energy-consuming buildings, proposing self-regulating, environmentally responsive architecture.
• 💡 A key innovation is thermal bi-metal, a material that expands at different rates when exposed to heat, enabling passive self-ventilation and shading in buildings.
• 🌞 Thermal bi-metal can be used for self-shading facades and self-assembling structures, and has even attracted interest from NASA for potential use in space.
• 🔋 Dosu designs solar turbines that harness solar energy, providing a sustainable way to generate power from the sun.
• 🏙️ One of Dosu’s visionary projects includes creating smog-eating panels to clean the air in urban environments.
• 🏢 Dosu advocates for designing building envelopes that act as dynamic, responsive ‘human skin’, reducing reliance on mechanical heating and cooling systems.
• 🌍 Buildings account for over 40% of global energy consumption and emissions, making it crucial to innovate smarter, energy-efficient solutions for construction.
• 🚀 The future of architecture lies in using materials and designs that naturally adapt to their environment, reducing energy usage and creating sustainable buildings.

Q & A

What is Dosu Studio Architecture focused on?

Dosu Studio Architecture is a research-based design firm dedicated to developing environmentally responsive architecture, with a focus on innovative building materials and sustainable design practices.

What inspired the shift from client-based to research-based practice?

The shift occurred when the founder, Dor Sung, realized that existing products were limiting and wanted to create buildings that could automatically respond to environmental changes, without relying on energy or controls.

What is the thermal bi-metal material and how does it work?

Thermal bi-metal is a lamination of two metal layers that expand at different rates. When temperature increases, the material curls, allowing it to perform functions like self-ventilation or self-shading.

How is thermal bi-metal used for self-ventilation?

The thermal bi-metal material curls and opens up like a basket weave when it heats up, which allows air to circulate and ventilate the surface automatically without energy inputs.

How is thermal bi-metal used for self-shading?

In self-shading applications, the material curls and opens up to shade the area below, thereby helping to cool the space naturally by blocking direct sunlight.

How has NASA shown interest in the thermal bi-metal material?

NASA has expressed interest in using the thermal bi-metal material for applications on the Moon, potentially for self-assembly projects in space exploration.

What is the role of solar turbines in the projects developed by Dosu Studio?

Solar turbines designed by Dosu Studio are activated by sunlight, causing a turbine to turn indefinitely, which could potentially generate energy without external power sources.

What is the significance of Dosu's approach to building facades?

Dosu Studio envisions building facades as part of the city's infrastructure, suggesting that facades should contribute to environmental solutions, such as smog-eating panels that can clean the air.

Why is it important to design buildings to be environmentally responsive?

Buildings consume a significant amount of energy and contribute to emissions. Designing buildings to be environmentally responsive can reduce their energy load, improve efficiency, and contribute to sustainability efforts.

How should building envelopes be designed to be more efficient?

Building envelopes should be treated like human skin—acting as the first line of defense with functions like sweating, making goosebumps, and providing protection against environmental elements. This would reduce reliance on HVAC systems and enhance overall building performance.