ABSTRACT
Through advances in computation, chemistry and materials science, designers are more able to conceive of an adaptive built environment that is homeostatic – a biological condition where organisms maintain internal stability through the continuous exchange of matter and energy with the local environment. Adaptive architectural design varies in its underlying strategies, from the computational and electronic to more passive material-based systems that are reactive to environmental stimuli. This project describes the branch of applied research with dynamic materials that exhibit behavioral change in response to environmental fluctuation and searches for strategies to make phase-change materials (PCMs) more programmable, sensorial and effective for building envelope applications. An equally important aspect of this research is to forward the visual prospect of building technology by making it sensual and appeal to the imagination. A position is taken that the directive of modern sustainable building technology is not solely human comfort but a nuanced understanding of our relationship to the environment.
