National Science Foundation<\/a>. The goal of the research, the researchers said, is to make a building that is attractive and functional, but also more energy efficient. <\/p>\nUsing what they call a \u201cshape-memory polymer,\u201d the team has developed building skins that could allow a building to breathe on its own, much like a living system. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it\u2019s hot, we want the building skin to be open to absorb air, and when it\u2019s cold, we want it closed, without using external mechanical devices or electrical devices,\u201d said Ph.D. architecture student Maryam Mansoori, one of more than 60 Texas A&M students who are also heavily involved in the project. <\/p>\n
The researchers are using materials including alloys and stimuli-responsive polymers to enable a building that has a \u201csmart skin\u201d applied to it to function almost as a living thing in its own environment. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe started to think, can we create a system that is self-regulated based on the inherent properties of the materials themselves?\u201d Rybkowski said. Builders and designers may be able to use heat or light to get the desired effect they want. The polymers are designed to draw fresh air into the building, which allows it to actually breathe on its own. <\/p>\n
Another team member, Negar Kalantar, assistant professor of interior design at the California College of the Arts, is using high-tech 3D printers to aid in the design and construction of the polymers. <\/p>\n
Rybkowski said there are \u201clots of materials that are currently used that are responsive to environmental cues,\u201d and the team hopes to identify these and more to use as smart skin building layers. <\/p>\n
The key focus area of the project is sustainability, Rybkowski added. <\/p>\n
\u201cCan we use what already exists in our own environment and incorporate that into the anatomy of our buildings? That is the big picture here,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
With more research, the team believes it can go farther and use materials that help self-regulate not only building temperature, but air quality and water conservation.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine buildings with smart skins that can perform the tasks of today\u2019s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems,\u201d said Rybkowski. \u201cThis is a futuristic proposition, but a new generation of smart materials that can interact with the environment is starting to make this kind of vision feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research team also includes Texas A&M\u2019s Tahir Cagin, professor of materials science and engineering, and Terry Creasy, associate professor of materials science and engineering.<\/p>\n
For more information, contact rnira@arch.tamu.edu<\/a> or doswald@tamu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Construction science professor Zofia Rybkowski and a research team are exploring the possibility of buildings with \u201cbreathing\u201d exteriors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[86,87,63,90],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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