No-Mech Kinetic Responsive Architecture: Kinetic Responsive Architecture with No Mechanical Parts

Abstract

Kinetic architecture has been in the center of architectural discourse utilizing technological advances [1] to establish itself in the reality of the built environment. Despite the large number of researchers and realized projects, various issues have prevented these solutions from being incorporated vastly into conventional building design. Over the past years, responsive architecture, computational design and material science have been collaborating to form a novel design strategy. In this recent and diverse field of study architects experiment in kinetic architecture through material technology aiming in low energy consumption designs that fulfill their purpose more efficiently. This technology employs a specific group of smart materials that present kinetic properties when triggered by external stimuli. These materials differentiate from others due to a common characteristic: their ability to move with no motors or mechanical parts. A number of related projects has been analyzed not in order to draw definitive conclusions but to communicate some kind of initial concerns about this emerging and interesting field. These projects depict surfaces that respond to environmental data gathered from their immediate environment or human interaction, and form systems that aim to produce a sustainable architecture.