Active | ReactiveAn Interactive Building Skin

This Final Project is presented to The Faculty of the School of Architecture

by

Charlotte Wood

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Architecture

Southern Polytechnic State University, Marietta, Georgia Spring Semester 2014

Thesis Collaborative 2013 - 2014 Request for Approval of Project Book

Department of Architecture

School of Architecture and Construction Management

Southern Polytechnic State University

Student’s Full Name: Charlotte Wood

Thesis Project Title: Active | Reactive: Dynamic Building Skin

Thesis Summary: A building skin system designed to utilize all beneficial resources from its given site will have measurable and observable benefits to

not only the direct users of the space, but to everyone associated with the building as well as the environment as a whole. This can be achieved using a mechanically driven membrane that is thoroughly reactive to its environment using new and innovative materials, passive

sustainable techniques, and control systems to ensure that every renewable energy source is used.

Student Signature ________________________________Date___________

Approved by:

Internal Advisor 1 ________________________________Date___________ (Primary Advisor) Professor Pegah Zamani

Internal Advisor 2 ________________________________Date___________

Professor Ermal Shpuza

Thesis Coordinator 1 ________________________________Date___________ Professor Michael Carroll

Thesis Coordinator 2 ________________________________Date___________

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to the woman I most look up to. Without your love, support, and unending encouragement, I never would have made it through. Thank you for being the one I could call and celebrate a good presentation or an A on a test, and the one I could vent to when I was run-

ning on no sleep and felt like there was no end in sight. I can never thank you enough for all you have done for me.I love you more than anything, Mom.

Acknowledgments

I would like to sincerely thank my thesis advisor, Pegah Zamani for her continued encouragement and support. Without her endless supply of examples to see, ideas for where the project could go, and help when I wasn’t sure how to progress, this thesis would not have taken the

same path.

I would also like to thank Ermal Shpuza, for helping me to find my starting point and to form the argument which led to the completion of this thesis project.

The contributions of both of my thesis advisors was instrumental to the success of this thesis project, and for that am I so grateful. I enjoyed having had both as professors in my 5 years at Southern Polytechnic State University, and I look forward to using the knowledge I have gained from them,

as well as from all of the other professors I have had the privilege to learn from, in my life and in my career.

CHAPTER 1: DESIGN THEOREM 13

DESIGN HYPOTHESIS 14

LITERARY CASE STUDIES 17 LITERARY CASE STUDIES IN SUSTAINABILITY 18 LITERARY CASE STUDIES IN FABRICATION 22

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS 26 Expand 27 Fold 29 Rotate 31 React 33 Reuse 35 Collect 37

CHAPTER 2: DESIGN ANALYSIS 39

SITE 40 SITE CONTEXT 40 SITE SELECTION AND SIGNIFICANCE 42

ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS 44

CURRENT DAYLIGHTING CONDITIONS 46

USER SURVEY RESULTS AND COMPLAINTS 50

CHAPTER 3: DESIGN PROCESS 53

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES 54 ANALYSIS OF SELECTED FUNCTIONS 54 MODELING OF SELECTED FUNCTIONS 60

Material research and analysis 64

FINAL MODEL 66 SECTION VIEW OF SKIN 68 SKIN APPLIED TO SITE 71

CHAPTER 4: DESIGN SYNTHESIS 73

presentation bOARDS 74

Thesis Competition Presentation 76 Function and Material Video 78

CHAPTER 5 : CRITICAL RESPONSE 79

REFLECTIONS BY THE AUTHOR 81

SUMMARY 81

BIBLIOGRAPHY 83

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CHAPTER 1

DESIGN THEOREM

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Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will

never fail you.Frank Lloyd Wright

DESIGN HYPOTHESIS

Sustainability can’t be like some sort of a moral

sacrifice or political dilemma or a philanthropical cause.

It has to be a design challenge.

Bjarke Ingels

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ‘til oil and coal run out

before we tackle that.”

Thomas Edison

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The entire county is categorized currently as Abnormally Dry, which is very close to a drought condition. A neighboring coun-ty, Fulton (which houses the city of Atlanta), ranges from Ab-normally Dry to Moderate, and even Severe drought conditions. There are rampant severe drought conditions in the center as well as the majority of the eastern border of the state. The earliest recorded severe drought in Georgia was in 1903 and lasted until 1905. Since then, droughts of all categories have come and gone in Georgia, but as a state, there has been very little proactive actions taken to regulate consumption. Maria Dolan, a Quality Assurance and Test Engineer, put it this way:

“One fact is clear: Our water supplies for municipal-ities, industries, power generation, agriculture, for-ests, wetlands, stream water quality, navigation, and recreation have been severely impacted over time.”

In an almost cyclical pattern, areas in Georgia go through periods of drought, and of higher rainfall. The problem though, is that seemingly every time this happens, citizens take it as a surprise. There is need in this drought prone area to take action before the next drought comes- which it undoubtedly will.

Some actions that can be taken to help alleviate this cycle of water need can be seen in the law and local regulations on the matter in Germany. They include these main goals: Re-striction of the use of drinking water when this is necessary, local responsibility for rainwater management, construction of cisterns and measures to help rainwater drainage into the soil, as well as local rainwater collection. For example, in domestic gardens, there is a provision that requires a rainwater cistern for gardening. These low cost solutions, when implemented by local regulations, can not only help to conserve water, but also to simply raise awareness.

Rainwater collection can also be incorporated into public plazas and done in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. One exam-ple of this is the Daimler Chrysler building’s Urbane Gewasser water management system. It is a series of manmade streams and ponds around the building which has many benefits. Green Roofs and Roof Gardens also soak up a large amount of water, that can go toward irrigation and benefit the users with usable plantings, or water can be filtered through the soil systems during times of heavy rain and reused in drought or especially dry conditions.

As the precedents and case studies to follow show, a smart design can alleviate issues of water shortages. The design challenge that will come from the thesis stated above will be to combine the idea of a smart, mechanically driven façade with water sustainability. This could achieve a more efficient building in the way it deals with light, wind, heating/cooling, weathering, and rainwater water runoff. The water runoff could be used for energy purposes, obviously collection, as well as to have possible aesthetic effects on the façade system. This project will focus on multiple sites in the state of Georgia, dealing with water conser-vation in drought prone areas. Special consideration will be given to places with a specific climate issue to tackle, such as near the ocean. This project will be a guide to citizens, a way to easily augment their water consumption and collection at their homes, their jobs, and in their lives in general.

Design Hypothesis

A building skin system designed to utilize all beneficial resources from its given site will have measurable and observable benefits to not only the direct users of the space, but to everyone associ-ated with the building as well as the environment as a whole.

This building envelope will be a mechanically driven building skin system that is thoroughly reactive to its environment using control systems, new materials, and passive sustainable techniques to ensure that every energy source is used.

Context and Rationale

In Georgia, the risk of drought conditions is almost unavoidable in the southern ¾ of the state. This is not a new concern, nor is it an under researched one. The problem that occurs every time this happens, is that people are unprepared. Infrastructure in cities and towns is highly affected by the water shortages. Neigh-borhoods and communities are also affected by policies which force them to conserve. These issues would not occur if some proactive steps were taken against the water shortage before it happens. Buildings take up much of the land area in the affected areas in Georgia. These surfaces are being rained on thousands of times, and the water is often cast off, left to sit in storm drains. The design problem is that of capturing this water and using it to benefit the individual, the community, and the state as a whole.

The graphic to the right shows Georgia counties which are suf-fering from drought conditions. Southern Polytechnic State Uni-versity is located in Marietta, GA- part of Cobb County.

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Diagram showing the sustainable methods to be utilized in the skin system.

Uniqueness of the Proposal

What makes this project differ from any previous attempt at a re-active building skin system is not only the combination of energy collection and storage techniques, but also its combined function-ality and its versatility. The siting of the project at a university will add functions beyond the obvious purpose, to have energy and cost savings, such as being a teaching tool.

Combination of SystemsThe solution to the problem of creating a responsive and sus-tainable building skin has been tackled in different ways by multiple architects and designers. This project aims to combine the functions of projects under the disciplines of architecture and mechatronics, as well as to introduce new materials to develop and create a building envelope that is reactive to its environment using mechanization and control systems. This smart system will be able to detect changes and adjust its function accordingly in real time.

Site Proposed

The proposed site for a real-life observable and testable exhi-bition of this skin system is Southern Polytechnic State Univer-sity in Marietta, GA. Southern Polytechnic is a higher education facility that teaches the importance of sustainability. The campus itself however, does not often utilize sustainable techniques for renewable energy collection, even in newer buildings.

Benefits

The project will be a teaching tool for the students of Southern Polytechnic State University. It will combine water collection, reduction in solar heat gain, and multiple energy collection tech-niques to not only show the possibilities open to new designers and to demonstrate the quantifiable benefits from each system, but also to get students genuinely interested in these systems by encouraging student interaction. The project will be in a busy area on campus, providing students with a place to sit and talk, or rest quietly individually.

The project will also be economically beneficial for the school. The energy saved from temperature control, the energy created and stored, and the water collected will all be tabulated and put on display. Faculty and staff can see in real time what this sys-tem is doing to help the university be more efficient.

End Result

The project ultimately aims to result in a building skin system that has measurable success in energy and water collection while providing an interactive learning experience to the students at Southern Polytechnic while also alleviating some of the issues with the current daylighting in the chosen space.

The project will be a success when the design and planning stages lead to a fully functional building envelope system. The end result will be a plan for this system, and an analysis of the way it works within the site.

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LITERARY CASE STUDIES

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Sustainability in Higher Education Stories and Strategies for Transformation

This book demonstrates how leaders at many different univer-sities deal with bringing sustainability in to the curriculum and making changes to the campus to follow the ideals being taught.

Setting Goals

From the chapter in the book by Julie Newman of Yale University, this excerpt explains how important it is to quantify the success of the sustainable actions being taken. If goals are not established and progress is not tracked, people will begin to lose interest and enthusiasm for the project.

This is why the project being proposed will diligently track the amount of energy stored and the real world cost savings. This will help to make the benefits real to students, faculty, and staff, and will ideally keep people’s interest.

Student Interaction

Also from Yale’s Julie Newman, this excerpt gives some small examples of involving students in sustainable campaigns. The chapter focuses on ways to encourage involvement in sustainability in a world of distractions. Though she gives these examples, she questions whether they send the right message, and if they don’t, what type of project would?

The proposed project would take into account the severe distractions that students deal with on a daily basis. With an iPhone in one hand and their tablet in the other, it is difficult to get the attention of the average student today. The project will be sited in an area with high pedestrian traffic, to introduce a large audience. The skin system will be reactive not only to environmental forces but to human interaction. Kinetic energy can be harnessed from vibration and direct touch. As students see their movements having an effect on this system, their attention will be captured.

LITERARY CASE STUDIES IN SUSTAINABILITY

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Student Involvement

Grant A. Mack from San Diego State University wrote a chapter in the book about a student movement for sustainability. He explains how a group of students who were interested in sustainable practices got together to change the campus for the better. This excerpt discusses how the group decided to spend some allocated on high visibility and simple projects such as retrofitting some of the campus’ facilities with high efficiency lighting and installing photovoltaic panels.

The architecture program alone has many students who are interested in sustainability. A project with which students can interact and learn from will inspire students who have these interests. The hope of this project is to present a way to incorporate sustainable practices of many types, making it possible for students to take matters into their own hands and make other environmentally conscious changes on campus.

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Net Zero Energy Design

This book acts as a practical guide for incorporating sustainable techniques and systems into buildings. It discusses all aspects of the design process, details the different ways in which renew-able and other types of energy can be harnessed and gives case studies using some of these techniques.

Hydroelectricity GenerationThe book explains that hydroelectricity can be used at small or large scale and there are multiple ways for a system to function. Hydro energy is also low cost and long lasting.

Hydroelectricity can be incorporated in the water collection/fil-tration aspect of the project. With water moving from the roof to storage, the energy from that movement should be collected.

Lighting Efficiency

The book also discusses the advantages of certain light fixtures and bulbs.

LED lights are very efficient. Their advantages can be utilized in a responsive facade which would not only attract attention but also introduce this lighting as a viable option in design.

Solar Power

The book explains in detail how solar cells work to generate energy. It also praises the cost effectiveness of this choice. Other benefits listed are the flexibility in the scale of projects that Pvs can be applied to, and its versatility

Photovoltaic cells can be used at virtually any scale. This energy generation system would be perfect for the small scale building skin project being proposed.

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Sustainable Facades

This book is a guide on designing high performance building en-velopes based on scientific principles and according to site, and climate in particular. It goes over different facade systems as well as materials.

Facade Control Systems

The section in this book on facade control systems was very informative, and influenced how the project will track future data that will be collected.

This excerpt outlines some of the aspects of the building facade that can be manipulated in real time by a control system that is influenced by the buildings surrounding environment. The system tracks data over time, and becomes more and more in tune with the environment.

The diagram to the right shows the basic structure of the way the control system takes data from sensors and translates that in to the way lighting, shading, and HVAC should respond.

The ability of computer systems to quantify data quickly and ac-curately makes for a revolutionary way to control the systems in a building. Using a control system, the proposed project will use its surroundings in the most efficient way possible.

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Sustainable Design : A Critical Guide

This book begins with site selection and then goes through many types of energy efficiency, air quality, materials, and other as-pects of sustainable design.

LITERARY CASE STUDIES IN FABRICATION AND DESIGN

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Site Selection

This excerpt deals with site selection. It raises important ques-tions in a situation where the designer is able to influence the site choice. One question mentioned is asking whether there are renewable resources available to the site.

The proposed project should address this question first and foremost. Renewable resources vary at each proposed site location, but some sites have more potential than others. Sec-ondary for the site selection is the presence of pedestrian traffic. This is actually also a renewable resource in terms of kinetic energy harvesting. The book also discusses the importance of walk-ability in the site, which is of very high importance not only for kinetic energy but for visibility purposes as well.

Water Harvesting

This excerpt explains some of the possible uses for gray water, or rainwater that has been harvested. Since there could be con-taminants, the water is not usually used for drinking, but can be used for irrigation, hand washing, and other non-drinking uses.

For the proposed building skin project, there will be rainwa-ter collected and stored. Possible uses for this water could be thermal mass, irrigation of green roof or wall, or even an out-door misting system for hot summer days. The amount of water will help to determine the available uses of the water in the end product.

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Building Envelopes: An Integrated Approach

This book argues and gives examples for facades that are not just aesthetically pleasing but also add to the building’s performance via energy usage, climate control, and structural stability.

Purpose of the Text

This diagram within the book, ‘Building Envelopes: An Integrat-ed Approach,’ does a very good job of explaining the purpose of the book itself. The book argues that the idea of the facade, the threshold between the indoors and outdoors, is a very complex idea and encompasses many issues. This quote from the text explains the idea,

“There are a multitude of issues and influences that will come in to play in designing an envelope that is both practical and ele-gant-from the building’s program and users to its climate and context (community/surrounding buildings/environment/code) over its whole life cycle.”

The book is broken in to three sections, the first deals with es-tablishing the criteria for the design of the building envelope. The second discusses different elements of the approach, as well as current issues surrounding current practices. The third section fo-cuses on case studies. These case studies are chosen as exam-ples of successful integrated envelope strategies.

Relation to Thesis

This book explores many of the same topics as this thesis project sets out to investigate. The argument that the author puts forward is in a similar vein to the thesis statement, the a building skin should use all possible inputs from its environment. The combi-nation of systems that are studied in the text helped to introduced projects that had a similar aim, and that utilized an integrated building envelope successfully.

The diagram above helps to illustrate the innate connection between buildings and their environment, as well as the differ-ences between climates of urban areas and those of rural areas. The relationship between these areas is explored, and compared during different seasons, and different times of the day.

From this exploration, it becomes evident that the climate is intricately connected with the demographics and community of the place. The temperature, wind, light, water, etc. are all deeply interconnected.

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This diagram by Matthew Herman of Buro Happold Consulting Engineers illustrates how energy enters, is used, and finally is expelled by a building. The entire process is mapped in such a way that one can see the waste that occurs as a result of the building not taking advantage of the natural resources provided by the site.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS :Expand Fold Rotate React Reuse Collect

Name of Project: Heliotropic Skyscraper Architect: Mikael Ling, Björn FörstbergLocation: Sweden

This project by Mikael Ling and Björn Förstberg consists of a collection of reconfigurable dwelling pods attached to a central core. The pods are attached by an expandable joint, and can move toward or away from the core depending on temperature and light conditions on the site. The core houses a green space which is a vertical park, which serves to purify the air.

The reconfigurable living pods expand and contract from the core depending on light and temperature conditions.

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Name of Project: Simons Center for Geometry and PhysicsArchitect: Perkins Eastman, Adaptive Building InitiativeLocation: Long Island, New York

This LEED Gold certified project by Perkins Eastman includes a very innovative facade design in its atrium space. The facade was designed by the Adaptive Building Initiative, ABI, and is comprised of layered light gauge punched stainless steel panels. The panels move against one another, and control light levels, solar gain and thermal performance according to Hoberman and Associates. This simple yet effective and elegant design solution will inspire the thesis project in its ability to control solar heat gain without bulky high R value materials. The lightness of the design is very attractive, and it would make people want to spend time in the space.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS :Expand Fold Rotate React Reuse Collect

The repetitive geometric shapes punched in to the thin met-als layers of the facade expand and contract to allow more or less sunlight in when needed.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate React Reuse Collect

Name of Project: Al Bahar TowersArchitect: AedasLocation: Abu Dhabi, UAE

This project by Aedas features many triangular shades which react to the intense sun of Abu Dhabi. The triagular frames are coated with fi-berglass and controlled by a computer system. This system tracks the sunlight, and makes each unit open or close, depending on the bright-ness of the sunlight.

The triangular units fold open and shut to allow or restrict light and views to the interior of the building.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate React Reuse Collect

Name of Project: CJ Research Center’s Kinetic Folding Facade Architect: Yazdani StudioLocation: Japan

This project by Yazdani Studio features a dynamic facade system that is oriented horizontally and makes up rings around the building, enclosing it. This facade is made up of units, each of which hold a screening mechanism and blocks the interior from sun when needed. Though this building utilizes one main function in the skin, the building unit is a new way to let in light in a very controlled manner.

The horizontal screening device folds in on itself according to light sensors to either let in or restrict sunlight.

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Name of Project: Cafe-restaurant OPENArchitect: De Architekten Cie.Location: Amsterdam

The Cafe-restaurant OPEN in Amsterdam by de Architekten Cie. features a movable exterior skin is at a scale that is more relate-able to the people eating inside. The change in configuration changes the nature of the space, as well as allowing breezes inside. This type of dynamic and elegantly simple solution will help to inform the thesis project as design decisions begin to take place.

The glass and steel facade system has units which rotate around a center point, opening the space up to the surrounds.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand FoldRotate React Reuse Collect

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand FoldRotate React Reuse Collect

Diagram showing facade movement “The lineal, motor-driven, centrally-controlled individual elements can perform the following basic operations: +closed (parallel to the thermal glazed envelope), +following the position of the sun (variable, perpendicular to the angle of entry of the sun) +open (the horizontal louvres intertwine over a double-axis, perpendicular to the thermal glazed envelope).”- World Architecture News

Diagram showing facade movement

Name of Project: Q1 HeadquartersArchitect: JSWD Architekten + Chaix & Morel et AssociésLocation: Essen, Germany

“The shading system is composed of approximately 400,000 metal “feathers”, which are anchored into 3,150 routered stainless steel mov-able stalks, which move and breathe with the touch of a controller.” -Lori Zimmer | InhabitatThis project for the Q1 Headquarters in Essen, Germany stands out from the other buildings on the Q1 campus because of its remarkable facade system. The leaf-like sun shading elements are under the control of a computer system, reacting to sensor data as well as outside input. This reactive and dynamic facade has significant sustainable properties, and the building as a whole has reached the gold LEED level. The way this building is using data from its environment is directly related to the questions raised by this thesis.

Each of the motor driven shades rotate in unison with the sun’s angle during the day.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold RotateReact Reuse Collect

Name of Project: Taiwanese Wind TowerArchitect: Decode Urbanism OfficeLocation: Taiwan

The skin of the building is made up of diamond shaped wind generators within a diagrid structure. The generators take the movement of the wind, and create usable electricity. The building can be completely powered by these wind generators. Also, small LED lights within the generator light up at night with higher intensity in areas of strong wind. This is a great way to reveal the sustainable methods to the user/observer. Each diamond shaped generator changes orientation when wind is actually present, which results in a change in transparency on the facade. When the wind blows, the ‘Weather vane’ goes vertical and the building becomes more transparent, whereas in a low wind area, the facade hides the floors and structure inside.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold RotateReact Reuse Collect

The wind tower reacts to the presence of wind energy on site in many ways. One way is to illuminate the facade at night, showing the pattern of the wind on the facade.

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Super Cilia Skin on a building Facade

Name of Project: Super Cilia Skin Developed by: By: Hayes Raffle, Mitchell Joachim, James Tichenor, Bryan Blumenkopf, George Heming, and Professor Hiroshi Ishii

“SCS is imagined as an exterior sheathing for skyscrapers that can harness urban wind energy or display billboard size imagery.”Textile, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 1–19. Hayes Reffle et al.This project has the ability to not only mimic the movements in its direct environment, but also capture the energy produced by that move-ment. The possibilities for a dynamic and reactive facade using this material are simple to see. The facade could react to human movement and touch at a small scale (creating interest and encouraging interaction), and use wind cur-rents at a large scale. It would then store that power, which will effectively reduce the building’s dependence on the power grid.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold RotateReact Reuse Collect

The individual cilia react to touch form the user and can har-vest the kinetic energy or replay the touch in real time.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate ReactReuse Collect

Name of Project: GreenBreath: A Dynamic Green FaçadeArchitect: Yen-Chia HsuLocation: Un-sited

This project depicts a mechanically driven facade that incorporates not only sun shading but also solar power generation. These are aspects that will be incorporated in the thesis project as well. This project goes beyond just one sustainable function, incorporating many. This helps to inform ways to integrate these methods together in to one dynamic system.

Solar power is collected and reused to power the dynam-ic facade, moving the plant boards in accordance to the sun angles.

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Name of Project: Solar Optics-Based Active PanelsArchitect: Maria-Paz Gutierrez, Slawomir Hermanovicz, Luke LeeLocation: Un-sited

A team of researchers from Berkeley has been awarded a 2 million dollar grant for research on a gray water recyling system to be applied to low income housing. The system is a building skin with the grey water inside, and it uses solar disinfection to make the water usable again. “The researchers are testing a new water-recycling system for a building system, designed for application in multi-story apartments. The recycling system couples the solar disinfection of grey water from kitchen sinks, showers, or laundries with thermal storage for energy management and light transmission control.” -Kathleen Maclay, UC Berkeley News CenterThis system uses a microphotonic outer wall including lenses which maximize the light that reaches the water inside to disinfect it. This idea of reusing and recycling grey water can be incorporated into the project proposal. The water in the wall also works as thermal mass to keep the building insulated.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate ReactReuse Collect

The cells within the skin system purify rainwater so that it can be reused.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate React ReuseCollect

Name of Project: Capture the Rain Architect: H3ARLocation: New York, New York

This project by H3AR Studio is a skyscraper that collects rainwater. Gutters collect water from the roof, then the water is filtered through a vegetation layer, and used as greywater for the apartment style housing. The spiraling gutters have outputs for water use on each of the floors. This project, like the thesis addresses water shortages in cities, and proposes a novel idea to capture as much rainwater as possible and actually allows the users to benefit from this water on a daily basis.

A system of gutters collect rainfall from the roof, and the wa-ter is purified through vegetation and reused in the housing.

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Name of Project: The Water CubeArchitect: MVRDV Location: Yeosu, South KoreaThe Water Cube Pavilion by MVRDV handles water in very interesting ways. It is situated over the ocean, so it involves water purification. It also uses sea water for cooling, as well as sun refraction. This multi function aspect of the Water Cube is similar to the focus of this project, as shown by the diagram to the right.

PRECEDENT ANALYSIS : Expand Fold Rotate React ReuseCollect

The exhibition tanks collect sea water and use it to regulate the temperature inside.

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CHAPTER 2

DESIGN ANALYSIS

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SITE CONTEXT

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SITE SELECTION, SIGNIFICANCE, AND BENEFICIAL RESOURCES

Southern Polytechnic State University : Design II Building

Given that this project is a building skin, the site could potentially be anywhere. The skin will be applicable to existing buildings, available for renovations and additions, and will be an option for new building envelopes.

The purpose of this dynamic building skin system is to respond to its environment by taking full advantage of the resources avail-able. In choosing a site, the most important criteria considered were the site’s untapped resources (inputs), the potential gains (outputs), and the user complaints (design issues).

After studying the conditions in and around the building as well as collecting data from the current users, the site for the dynamic building skin project is the Design II Building on the campus of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia.

This site has abundant resources that remain unused, and the building’s users have provided many issues with the current sit-uation, and have suggested ways in which their experience could be improved.

INPUTS OUTPUTS DESIGN ISSUES

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Sunl

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The most abundant natural resources on the site are sunlight and rainwater. In one year, the site will receive approximately 55 inches of rainwater. This means that with even a small collection area, the water gathered will be plentiful, and can be reused in times of drought and emergency, or any time there is a use for excess water. The sunlight is also an important source of unused energy. Bright sun rays penetrate through the chosen building at almost all occupied hours during the day. Not only does the building need an improved shading system, but this light can be harnessed as solar energy through solar panels and fed back in to the building to reduce operating costs.

ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS AND CLIMATIC INFORMATION

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CURRENT DAYLIGHTING CONDITIONS

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USER SURVEY RESULTS AND COMPLAINTS

Correlation Between Glare and Studio Location(See Floor Plan with labeled studios to the right) Studio Labeled A: 75% responded that the glare is very bad and prohibits them from working comfortably Studio Labeled B: 100% responded that there is glare and it interferes with their workStudio Labeled C: Occasionally noticed glare Studio Labeled D: 75% responded that the glare is very bad and prohibits them from working comfortably

Correlation Between Glare and Workspace LocationThe majority of respondents whose work station was close to the north side near the aisle responded that there is glare and it interferes with their work.

The majority of respondents whose work station was near the middle, between the aisles also responded that there is glare and it interferes with their work.

Every respondent whose work station was close to the south side, near the professors’ offices responded that the glare is very bad and prohibits them from working comfortably.

Correlation Between Temperature and Studio Location(See Floor Plan with labeled studios to the left) Studio Labeled A: 75% responded that they were either some-times or frequently cold.Studio Labeled B: 75% responded that they were either too warm or comfortableStudio Labeled C: 100% responded that they were either com-fortable or sometimes coldStudio Labeled D: 50% responded that they were comfortable

Correlation Between Temperature and Workspace LocationAll respondents whose work station was close to the north side near the aisle responded that they were frequently or sometimes too cold, or comfortable.

All respondents whose work station was near the middle, be-tween the aisles responded that they were too warm or that they were comfortable.

Respondents whose work station was close to the south side, near the professors’ offices responded that they were either fre-quently cold, sometimes warm, or comfortable.

Opinions on an Improved Shading System80% of respondents believe that the users of the Design II Build-ing would benefit from an improved sun shading system, and that installing one would help reduce ventilation costs.

Opinions on Reduced Operating CostsThe other 20% of respondents agree that the users of the Design II Building would benefit from an improved sun shading system, but do not agree that installing one would help reduce ventilation costs.

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CHAPTER 3

DESIGN PROCESS

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ANALYSIS OF SELECTED FUNCTIONS

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MODELING OF SELECTED FUNCTIONS

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Material research and analysis : sodium Polyacrylate

As the study of the function ‘Expand’ progressed, the focus shifted to a material investigation. The interest began with the search for a materi-al that could expand many times its size. The research led to sodium poly-acrylate, which has many uses in dif-ferent commercial markets, but is not currently used in the building indus-try.

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FINAL MODEL

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FINAL MODEL

SECTION VIEW OF SKIN

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SKIN APPLIED TO SITESkin applied to the Design II Building

Lighting Effects

The skin applied to the exterior windows of the Design II building has the result of shading the studio below. The direct sunlight that once made it difficult for the students to concentrate is now diffused and filtered through sodium polyacrylate spheres.

Recharge

The skin is also interactive for the students in the roof space. The solar panels inte-grated within the system will collect energy. There will be charging cords provided for students to use this space to charge their phones, their laptops, and their tablets. The space will also serve as a rest stop in the busy day of the second year architecture students. They can recharge their devices and their minds.

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CHAPTER 4

DESIGN SYNTHESIS

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Presentation boards

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Thesis CompetitionPresentation

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Model Function and Material exploration Video

Subject of the Video

Model FunctionsThe first segment of the video shows a series of short clips. Each model from the series has been filmed performing its specific function, and these clips have been arranged by the main function of the models; expand, fold, rotate, react, reuse, and collect.

Material ExplorationThe material exploration segment of the video shows how the superabsorbant polymers function under different circumstances. These include a time lapse video of the water beads expanding, a pressure test, and the effects of sunlight on the materials.

Online Access to Video

Please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJG0xYu69tI&feature=youtu.be or scan the QR code to the right.

YouTube Link

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CHAPTER 5

CRITICAL RESPONSE

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REFLECTIONS BY THE AUTHOR

SUMMARY

Throughout the development of this project, I found that the most successful portions came from pure exploration. The challenge of using a new and unexplored material in many different ways was a pro-cess filled with trial and error. This exploration in to the potential of these polymers was exciting, fun,

and at times disheartening and frustrating. I learned so much from testing the boundaries of each of my models and materials, and the end point where I have arrived is just as much a starting point of where

this research could go.

In summary, I feel that the project successfully explored many combinations of functions, models, and materials. I believe that with much more research, development, and (of course)more trial and error,

this project could lead to an exciting new way to make buildings more responsive to their environment and to their users. This project really become more of an exploratory process than a means to an end,

and this research has the potential to continue to develop.

I was honored to learn that this project was awarded Second Place in the Southern Polytechnic State University Architecture Program Thesis Competition for Spring 2014.

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Literary Works Cited

Aksamija, Ajla. Sustainable Facades: Design Methods for High-performance Building Envelopes. Print. Barlett, Peggy F., and Geoffrey W. Chase. Sustainability in Higher Education: Stories and Strategies for Transformation. Print. Bergman, David. Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2012. Print. Hootman, Thomas. Net Zero Energy Design: A Guide for Commercial Architecture. Hoboken, NJ. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.Lovell, Jenny. Building Envelopes: An Integrated Approach. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2010. Print.

Architecture and Other Projects Cited

Expand

Heliotropic Skyscraper by Mikael Ling, Björn Förstberg http://www.evolo.us/architecture/heliotropic-skyscraper/Stony Brook University Simons Center for Geometry and Physics - ABI Tesselate Facade http://architizer.com/projects/stony-brook-university-simons-center-for-geome try-and-physics/media/280768/ http://www.architectmagazine.com/daylighting/a-clockwork-shade.aspx http://www.adaptivebuildings.com/simons-center.html

Fold

Al Bahar Towers by Aedas http://www.archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas/CJ Research Center’s Kinetic Folding Facade by Yazdani Studio http://www.evolo.us/architecture/cj-research-centers-kinetic-folding- facade-yazdani-studio/

Rotate

OPEN by de Architekten Cie. http://www.architecturelist.com/2011/04/01/cafe-restaurant-open-amsterdam- by-de-architekten-cie/ http://yazdanistudioresearch.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/kinetic-facade-prod ucts/ Q1 Headquarters by JSWD Architekten and Chaix & Morel et Associés http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.project view&upload_id=16220 http://inhabitat.com/germanys-q1-building-boasts-a-dazzling-facade-of- 400000-metal-feathers/ http://www.archdaily.com/326747/q1-thyssenkrupp-quarter-essen-jswd-ar chitekten-chaix-morel-et-associes/

React Taiwanese Wind Tower by Decode Urbanism http://www.evolo.us/architecture/taiwanese-wind-tower-by-decode-urbanism-office/ http://inhabitat.com/taiwanese-wind-tower-is-covered-with-thousands-of-wind-turbines-and-led- lights/

Super Cilia Skin: An Interactive Membrane http://www.archinode.com/super_cilia.pdf http://tmg-trackr.media.mit.edu:8020/SuperContainer/RawData/Papers/342-Super%20Cilia%20 Skin%20A/Published/PDF http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/kinesthetic-informatic-interface.html

Reuse

GreenBreath: A Dynamic Green Facade by Yen-Chia Hsu http://legenddolphin.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/greenbreath-a-dynamic-green-facade/Solar Optics-Based Panels (SOAP) http://ced.berkeley.edu/frameworks/2011/active-matter-matters/ http://biopoets.berkeley.edu/ http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~hermanowicz/slide9_Gutierrez_EFRISEED_class2010_s.jpg http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~hermanowicz/ http://rainbowwatercoalition.blogspot.com/2010/08/nsf-funds-greywater-research.html http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/08/26/grey_water/

Collect

Capture the Rain by H3AR http://www.archdaily.com/52671/capture-the-rain-h3ar/ http://www.evolo.us/competition/rain-collector-skyscraper/ http://www.designboom.com/architecture/rain-collector-skyscraper/ http://www.vidafine.com/blog/2010/06/rain-collector-skyscraper-edition/ http://plusmood.com/2010/03/rain-collector-skyscraper-ryszard-rychlicki-agnieszka-nowak-of-h3arThe Water Cube by MVRDV

http://www.archdaily.com/50092/the-water-cube-mvrdv/ http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/7138

Site Information and Material Research

SAP in Construction/Building Industry http://www.lantor.nl/index.php/id_pagina/28385/products-en-applications.html http://www.rilem.org/gene/main.php?base=8750&gp_id=241Marietta, GA ZONING ORDINANCE DIVISION 708 DISTRICT STANDARDS AND PERMITTED USES http://www.mariettaga.gov/City/media/Docs/Planzone/div-708-23-oi.pdfClimateBites: a climate communication toolkit http://www.climatebites.org/climate-communication-metaphors-and-soundbites/solutions/ener gy-choices/qnatures-inexhaustible-sources-of-energyqCobb GIS: Cobb County Internet Mapping: Interactive Zoning Map http://www.cobbgis.org:81/CobbSLPublic/Viewer.html?Viewer=CobbPublicMapMarietta, Georgia. Wikipedia Article. Climate. Temperature and Precipitation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marietta,_Georgia#cite_note-13Campus Maps. Southern Polytechnic State University. PDF Map. http://www.spsu.edu/visitspsu/campusmaps/

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