They are the materials which have the capability to respond to changes in

their condition or the environment to which they are exposed, in a useful and
usually repetitive manner. They are called by other names such as,

Intelligent materials,

Active materials and

Adoptive materials.

The devises that are made using smart materials are called Smart Devices.
Similarly the systems and structures that have incorporated smart materials
are called Smart Systems and Smart Structures. In other words the
complexity increases from smart materials to smart structures.
Stimulus Response System

A smart material or an active material gives an unique output for a well

defined input. The input may be in the form of mechanical stress / strain,
electrical / magnetic field or changes in temperature. Based on input and
output, the smart materials are classified as follows.

1. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs)

They are the smart materials which have the ability to return to some
previously defined shape or size when subjected to appropriate thermal
changes.
Eg.: Titanium-Nickel Alloys.

2. Magnetostrictive Materials
They are the smart materials which have the ability to undergo deformation
when subjected to magnetic field.
Eg.: Terfenol-D, (Alloy of Iron and Terbium)

3. Piezoelectric Materials
These are the materials which have capability to produce a voltage when
surface strain is introduced. Conversely, the materials undergo deformation
(stress) when an electric field is applied across it.
4. Electrorheological Fluids
They are the colloidal suspensions that undergo changes in viscosity when
subjected to an electric field. Such fluids are highly sensitive and respond
instantaneously to any change in the applied electric field.

Applications
1. Smart materials are used in aircrafts and spacecrafts to control
vibrations and excessive deflections.

2. Smart concrete is used in smart structures. Smart concrete (a

composite of carbon fibresand concrete) is capable of sensing
minute structural cracks / flaws.
3. Smart materials have good potential to be used in health care
markets. Active control drug delivery devices such as Insulin Pump
is a possibility.
4. Smart materials have applications in the design of smart buildings
and state of art vehicles. Smart materials are used for vibration
control, noise mitigation, safety and performance.

5 Smart Building Skins That

Breathe, Farm Energy, and
Gobble Up Toxins
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan
9/05/13 9:20am
Filed to: SYSTEMS
36.7K
10

Technically speaking, the smart facadeor building envelope that adapts to

environmental conditionsdates back to the first window. But the contemporary
idea of the smart facade has only been around for a few short decades, helped along
by recent advances in chemical and material science. And over the past three years,
we've seen the category boom.
Below, check out some of the most interesting building facades to come across the
screen in recent years: From a thermal metal screen that curls up when it's hot, to a
titanium dioxide-covered wall that scrubs the air of pollutants.

An Energy-Producing Algae Facade

This 2,150-square-foot wall, unveiled in Germany this spring, is the result of three
years of testing by a group of designers from Splitterwerk Architects andArup. Its

vibrant chartreuse hue isn't just an aesthetic flourishin fact, it's tinted by millions
of microscopic algae plants, which are being fed nutrients and oxygen to spur
biomass production. Facilitated by direct sunlight, the speedily-growing little cells
end up heating the water, and that heat is harvested by the system and stored for use
in the building.
"It is a test for the technology, but it also represents a huge step forward," said Jan
Wurm, Arups Europe Research Leader. "If we can demonstrate that microalgae
biofaades can become a viable new source of sustainable energy production, we can
transform the urban environment."

A Light-Responsive Facade That "Breathes"

This pair of Abu Dhabi towers are sheathed in a thin skin of glassfashionable, but
not ideal for the desert climate. So the architects at Aedas designed a special,
secondary sun screen that deflects some of the glare without permanently blocking
the views. Thanks to a series of faceted fiberglass rosettesbased on traditional
Islamic mashrabiyawhich open and close in response to the temperature of the
facade.
At night they will all fold, so they will all close, so youll see more of the facade,"
Aedas director Peter Oborn told The National. "It's using an old technique in a
modern way, which also responds to the aspiration of the emirate to take a
leadership role in the area of sustainability."

A Facade That Eats Smog

Back in 2011, the chemical company Alcoa unveiled a remarkable technology that
could clean the air around it. The material contained titanium dioxide, which
effectively "scrubbed" the air of toxins by releasing spongy free radicals that could
eliminate pollutants. The stuff has made appearances on streets, clothing, and
architecture since thenmost recently, on the sun screen of a new Mexico City
hospital, the Torre de Especialidades.
The hospital is cloaked in a 300-foot-long skin of Prosolve370e tiles, developed by a
German firm called Elegant Embellishments. The technology is based on the same
process: As air filters around the sponge-shaped structures, UV-light-activated free
radicals destroy any existing pollutants, leaving the air cleaner for the patients inside.
According to Fast Company, even the shape of the sun screen is significant: It creates

turbulence and slows down air flow around the building, while scattering the UV
light needed to activate the chemical reaction.

A Low-Tech, Operable Skin

In Melbourne, Sean Godsell Architects sheathed RMIT's design school in thousands
of small, sandblasted glass circleseach affixed to a central rod. Based on humidity
and temperature inside the building, these rods pivot automatically to facilitate (or
block) the flow of air through the facade. A simple but clever solution.

A Metal Mesh That Reacts to Heat

Bloom, a temporary installation by USC architecture professor Doris Kim Sung, isn't
technically a facade. But it's not long before a similar technique is used in buildings.
Sung's research deals with biomimetics, or how architecture can mimic the human
body. This sun shade was made with thermobimetala material that's actually a
laminate of two different metals, each with its own thermal expansion coefficient.
That means that each side reacts differently to sunlight, expanding and contracting at
different ratescausing tension between the two surfaces, and ultimately, a curling
effect. So when the surface gets hot, the thin panels on the shade curl up to allow
more air to pass through to the space belowand when it cools down, it closes up
again.

There are hundreds of other examples out there, so comment below if we've missed
a really interesting one.
Reply10 replies

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghans Discussions

All replies

satalacKelsey Campbell-Dollaghan
9/05/13 10:27am
I'm really hoping this one gets built in Nashville.

I'll let the Architects from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill describe what all it entails.
"
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is pleased to present 505 CSTa highly
sustainable mixed-use tower on the most prominent site in Nashvilles central business
district. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture was retained by Nashville-based
developers, Tony Giarratana and Ted Kromer to perform master planning and
conceptual architectural design services for a building that would be one of the most
energy-ecient and sustainable buildings in the world. The mix of uses in the 38-story,
605 foot tall tower includes oce, a luxury hotel, a world-class conference center and
below-grade parking. The mixed-use tower is intended to appeal to a Fortune 500
company wishing to relocate from a west coast, midwest or northeastern city. It was
assumed that the company would want a world-class building that is sustainable and has
a bold and distinctive architecture that will serve to enhance its corporate identity. It was
further assumed that the added convenience of a luxury hotel, dining facilities, a
conference center, and on-site parking would be appealing. The building is contextually
integrated into the Nashville street grid while responding to solar orientation to achieve
high energy eciencies with low energy consumption and environmental impact, said
Adrian Smith, who designed the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, while with
SOM. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture was recently named architect for
Kingdom Tower, in Saudia Arabia, to be the next tallest building in the world. As
highlighted by Smith, 505 CST is designed to achieve a LEED Platinum rating from the
U.S. Green Building Council. The building is also designed to meet the energy use
intensity (EUI) goals of the 2030 Challenge, an internationally-recognized challenge for
architecture practices to design energy ecient buildings and move energy consumption
toward zero fossil fuel usage by the year 2030. To those ends, the 505 CST design
incorporates a unique twisting form to achieve an environmentally strategic site
orientation, a double-skin faade with integrated photovoltaic panels, solar shading, an
under-oor air distribution system, two Skygardens and a variety of cutting-edge
building systemsdesigned by PositivEnergy Practiceto produce one of the most
technologically advanced buildings of its kind. The buildings form is sculpted in
response to extensive environmental analysis, and is particularly notable for its

sensitivity to solar exposure in Nashvilles warm climate. The citys urban grid is not
oriented to true north, so the north and south facades are twisted to align with the true
cardinal orientation. On the south faade, this twisting gives maximum exposure to
building-integrated photovoltaics which harvest solar energy and convert it to electricity
even as they help shade the interior against high-angle summer solar radiation. On the
north faade, the twisting to true north angles the face away from the sun allowing
natural daylight to penetrate the space while reducing the need for electried lighting.
Taken together, these solutions reduce solar exposure and solar heat gain by about 40
percent over a conventionally designed building on the same site. Further energy savings
will be achieved by curtain walls tailored to each exposure. A double-skin faade on the
buildings west face will feature an eight-inch, internally ventilated and shaded cavity,
which captures solar heat in warm months and exhausts it up and out of the building,
reducing cooling loads for the interior. In winter months, warm air collected inside the
interstitial space will be used to temper incoming ventilation air, reducing heating costs.
The east wall, which has less solar exposure than the west facade, incorporates a tripleglazed curtain wall with controlled internal shades to protect against the early morning
heat gain. The south facade is designed with a self-shading, horizontally folding curtain
wall incorporating photovoltaics on the angled upper surfaces to maximize exposure to
the sun. By these and other means, the design team has been able to produce an exterior
wall system consisting of approximately 60 percent vision glass and 40 percent solid
wall, as opposed to the reverse ratio that would otherwise be required to achieve the
energy goals of the 2030 Challenge. This will allow for spectacular views of downtown
Nashville for building tenants while maximizing their human comfort levels and
minimizing their energy costs. 3 CONCEPT DESIGN 2011.09 505 CST . 505 CHURCH
STREET . NASHVILLE, TN PROJECT INTRODUCTION The building is also designed to
take maximum advantage of synergies with downtown Nashvilles district heating and
cooling system, which will pipe chilled water to storage tanks within 505 CSTs belowgrade parking structure during o-peak hours at night, when the demand and cost is
lowest and the district systems excess generation capacity is highest. The stored chilled
water will be used during peak demand hours during the day thus permitting the
building to meet maximum cooling loads at a fraction of the cost of a conventional
system. Building systems will also collect and re-use rainwater and condensate from
mechanical systems as grey water for use in toilet ushing and landscape irrigation. 505

CST also features under-oor air distribution, which will increase human comfort and
interior design exibility while reducing energy costs by introducing heated or cooled air
from oor level, allowing more moderate delivery temperatures since air is introduced
closer to building occupants, rather than from an overhead system, as is typical in
conventionally designed buildings. An on-site cogeneration facility is planned to
generate electricity from clean natural gas, while waste heat from the generation process
will be used to heat hot water in the building throughout the year. Nine foot six inch
(96) ceiling heights and daylight harvesting controls will yield signicant savings in
lighting energy consumption and will help to maximize the energy-saving potential of
the buildings high-performance curtain wall system. Other key elements of the design
are two landscaped Skygardens, one located at the rst elevator stop for the midrise
portion of the oce tower, and the other at the uppermost oors of the high-rise portion
of the oce tower, setting the stage for major identity feature space for two major
corporate tenants. These Skygardens will provide stunning amenity spaces and
spectacular views for both occupants and their visitors. 505 CST will have approximately
700,000 rentable square feet of Class A o ce space; a 200 key, 5-Star quality hotel with
restaurant, health spa, pool and business center; and world-class, multi-story conference
center with ballroom. Underground parking will accommodate 1,000 cars."
Needless to say I really hope this pops up. There are a ton of new jobs coming to
Nashville, so maybe sooner than later.
1

Reply

WeatherpunkKelsey Campbell-Dollaghan
9/05/13 10:40am
The Internet of Things is old hat now; bring on The Internet of Spaces!
1

Reply

BobKelsey Campbell-Dollaghan
9/05/13 11:35am

Instead of a drab wall to this parking ramp, they installed this "wind veil" at Target Field
in Minneapolis

Smart Materials - Building Blocks for a Sustainable Future

Smart materials are materials, materials systems and products which, in

contrast to conventional materials, are dynamic in nature. At its simplest,
smart materials respond to and interact with their immediate environments to
exhibit adaptive characteristics that fulfill previously impossible functions.
Smart materials make the products, services, and not least, public and private
spaces of tomorrows world possible.
Today it is possible to specially create materials for a specific purpose. The
smart materials successes made in the material sciences sector often go
unheralded in the background as the market-ready product basks in the
plaudits. Yet, the technological foundation or competitive advantage of the
product developed would not exist were it not for smart materials. Around 70
percent of all technological innovations have a direct or indirect dependence
on characteristics and functionality of applied materials.
Whether we know it or not, smart materials already play an important role in
ordinary daily life. Chances are that you already wear smart materials when
doing sports (e.g. lycra in light, stretchy but comfortable clothing) or
pursuing outdoor activities (e.g. Gore-Tex in waterproof but breathable allweather clothing).
Smart materials can work at very basic functional levels (e.g. temperatureresponsive cups and plates for small children) or be used to simplify complex
technical systems by integrating new properties and functionality (e.g.
independent energy supply systems for microelectronic components).
The development of advanced materials for industry and new substances in
the chemicals sector provide a solid basis for technological innovation and
sustainable economic growth.
Germany is taking the lead in promoting advanced materials research and
development. Materials and substances generate annual turnover in the billion
euro region and provide indirect or direct employment to around five million
people.
Selection of
Smart Material
Types

Smart Material Properties

Shape Memory
Alloys

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are metal alloys that "remember" their original, coldforged shape. Changes to form can be induced and recovered via temperature or
stress changes. SMAs can display "one-way memory" or "two-way memory" effects
where the material can remember either one or two forms according to low or high
temperature. Shape memory alloys, for example, are used as triggers in sprinkler fire
alarm systems.

Shape Memory
Polymers

Like shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers (SMPs) can return to
their original state from a temporary, deformed state by applying an
external stimulus (e.g. temperature change). SMPs differ from SMAs in
terms of their "melting transition" from hard to soft phase responsible for
the shape-memory effect. Shape memory foams, for example, are widely
used in the construction sector.

Piezoelectric
Materials

Piezoelectric materials produce a small electrical voltage when stress is applied.

Conversely, applying a voltage to the material results in a stress change. This allows
materials which bend, expand or contract when a voltage is applied to be made.
Piezoelectric materials are used as contact sensors in a number of application
contexts.

Quantum
Tunneling
Composites
(QTC)

QTCs are composite materials of metals and highly elastic non-conducting

polymers. They make use of "quantum tunneling" to allow the conductive
elements to tunnel through the insulator when pressure is applied (i.e. the
material becomes a conductor when squeezed). QTCs can typically be
found in membrane switches of the kind found in mobile phones, pressure
sensors, and speed controllers.

Electroluminescent materials emit brilliant light in response to an electric current or

Electroluminescen
field. No heat is produced as a by-product. Areas of application include safety signs
t Materials
and clothing.

Color Change
Materials

Thermocromic materials change color according to temperature change.

Photochromic materials change color according to differing light conditions.

Type of Smart Material

Input

Output

Thermomochromics

Temperature difference

Color change

Photochromics

Radiation (Light)

Color change

Mechanochromics

Deformation

Color change

Chemochromics

Chemcial concentration

Color change

Electrochromics

Electric potential difference

Color change

Liquid crystals

Electric potential difference

Color change

Suspended particle

Electric potential difference

Color change

Electrorheological

Electric potential difference

Stiffness/viscosity change

Type 1 Property-changing

Magnetorheological

Electric potential difference

Stiffness/viscosity change

Electroluminescents

Electric potential difference

Light

Photoluminescents

Radiation

Light

Chemoluminescents

Chemical concentration

Light

Thermoluminescents

Temperature difference

Light

Light-emitting diodes

Electric potential difference

Light

Photovoltaics

Radiation (Light)

Electric potential difference

Type 2 Energy-exchanging

Type 2 Energy-exchanging (reversible)

Piezoelectric

Deformation

Electric potential difference

Pyroelectric

Temperature difference

Electric potential difference

Thermoelectric

Temperature difference

Electric potential difference

Electrorestrictive

Electric potential difference

Deformation

Magnetorestrictive

Magnetic field

Deformation

3 Smart Materials for Construction That Are Not Science Fiction

Kelly Lignos Ziv November 6, 2013

There were several scenes in Terminator 2: Judgement Day in which

the evil T-1000 was seemingly blown apart, only to pull together and

reshape its liquid metal body. The cyborg could even shape-shift to become
whatever form it chose. Now thats a smart material. A scary example, sure,
but actually not so far off from the types of materials being developed and
used by various industries including construction today. Hopefully
without the malicious intent.
Smart materials are engineered to respond to environmental stimuli such
as temperature, pressure, and the presence of oxygen. Scientists from
around the world are developing products once thought only possible using
the magic of Hollywood. Below are 3 smart materials being developed to
help make buildings and structures safer and more durable.

Smart Concrete

Smart concrete will heal its own cracks. Image from:

aconcordcarpenter.com and TU Deft
Concrete is a core building material. But even concrete starts to crumble
when it comes face-to-face with water, wind, stress and pressure. The
current method of dealing with structural instability in concrete has been to
replace or repair it. But what if all you had to do was add a little water? A
new type ofsmart concrete contains dormant bacteria spores and calcium
lactate in self-contained pods. When these pods come into contact with
water they create limestone, filling up the cracks and reinforcing the
concrete. Self healing concrete is estimated to save up to 50% of concretes
lifetime cost by eliminating the need for repair. Smart concrete is still being
tested to determine how long the bacteria sustains itself, but researchers

are hopeful they will be able to officially introduce smart concrete to the
construction industry very soon.

Shapeshifting Metal
The Terminator example above might make you a little skittish about
shapeshifting metal, but all signs point to it having a dramatic benefit on the
durability of skyscrapers, bridges and homes. Shapeshifting metals can
undergo great stress and temporarily change shape, but they are designed
to remember their original form and revert back to it if altered in some way.
Used in the construction of a bridge, for example, would help sustain the
bridge against damage from a hurricane or earthquake. Practical use of this
type of metal is largely still in the development phase, with scientists
specifically studying how smart metal can be used by the construction
industry. Companies like Shape Change Technologies LLC are leading the
industry, with developments already being used by the medical community
with an eye toward expanding their discoveries for use by engineers.

Self Healing Coatings

Schematic courtesy Marc Pauchard for Adolphe Merkle

Institute, Case Western Reserve University, U.S. Army
Research Laborator via http://www.durabilityanddesign.com/
New to the market and already in use are self healing coatings, sealants
and adhesives. A recent CNN.com article discussed U.S. based
companyAutonomic Materials and their development of self healing
coatings being used on marine-based structures like ships and oil rigs. The
coatings are made with polymers that innately react with one another when
they rupture, creating a process of self healing. Autonomic Materials
discovery is only for water-based structures, but the company is looking into
developing materials for broader use by the construction industry.

Not yet in use, but in the process of being tested by a group of scientists, is
a self healing coating that could be applied to concrete. The journal ACS
Applied Materials & Interfaces recently wrote on the scientific discovery of
this coating, but points out that it is not yet ready for industrial use. This
material has the ability to self heal when it cracks and is exposed to
sunlight, allowing UV rays to react with particles in the concrete that expand
and then fill the cracks.
Efficient Use of Material Resources

Since time immemorial, man has worked

with materials like stone, wood and iron to create the basic building blocks and
tools for life as we know it. Today, in an age when naturally occurring material
resources are being fast depleted, intelligent deployment of materials has
never been more important.
A Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI study
("Material Efficiency in Production") conducted on behalf of the Federal
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) found that annual cost
savings of EUR 48 billion could be realized in industry. This is equivalent to a
75 percent increase on return on sales (this forecast increase is higher still in
the clothing and textiles sectors and rubber and plastics production).
The material sciences and the resulting smart materials being developed in
the field are the lifeblood driving innovation in a time of global megatrends of
globalization, urbanization, demographic change, and energy change.
So-called "smart" materials (also known as "adaptive" or "intelligent"
materials) are materials whose properties (e.g. mechanical, optical, and
electromagnetic) can be altered in order to achieve a specific wished-for
functional effect.
Material Sciences - Driving Industry Innovation

The material sciences are a broad cross-sector technology field of major

importance to all manner of industry sectors including the automotive, aircraft
manufacturing, industry and consumer goods, manufacturing, mechanical
engineering and plant construction, medical technology sectors and many
more besides.

"Conventional" and "New" Materials

All manner of different materials and technologies are called into play in order
to meet the demands of industry. Materials can be divided into "conventional
material" (e.g. metals, ceramics, glass, and polymers/plastics) and "new
material" (composite materials, semiconductors, natural substances, and
smart materials) classification categories.

Promoting Smart Materials

A number of major smart materials funding programs and initiatives have been
set up in Europe and Germany to promote smart materials innovation in
industry and society at large. These dovetail at the European and domestic
level to reflect the highly interdisciplinary nature of this exciting sector.

As an international network, Materia identifies trends and current needs in

architecture and design. In these fields, there is a growing need for knowledge
about smart materials. Already, intelligent surroundings are becoming an integral part
of our lives. This is only set to increase in the future, as data collection and
automation through various sensors help control our environment as well as protect
and inform us.
What role do materials have in this process? How smart are current and future
materials? How smart can a material be and what is the significance of this on our
environment, or in building faades, interiors, installations,structures or foundations?
Its time to review this subject. Thats the theme of this lecture, by Materia creative
director Els Zijlstra.
Interactive smart materials are those that respond to a change in the environment,
such as temperature, pressure, UV radiation, magnetic field, energetic impact or
moisture. In each case, and for each example, the materials response can be
different: the material could change colour, translucency, hardness, or size.
Particularly interesting are the materials which generate energy from the differing
environmental conditions. Examples are piezoelectric cells, which operate under
pressure, or thermo-active materials, which are based on temperature differences.
Smart materials are not new. They are already being used in mechanical
engineering, healthcare and the electronics industries. Still, the possibilities for
architecture and design are still almost at an experimental stage.
Established examples are Kieran Timberlakewith its SmartWrap, a film that replaces
all the properties of an insulated wall. This has now been used in the Solos project,
which is packed with smart materials. Experiments at Zurich University are similarly
exciting, as are energy-generating highways and the self-regulating and spectacular
sun protection by architects Decker Yeadon.

Consider solar coatings too: paint that generates energy, materials that can
withstand exceptionally powerful forces by becoming hard at the moment of impact,
metals and plastics with memories that return to their original shape when heated, or
building foundations in Japan that counter forces generated during an earthquake
the list goes on! Many more great applications and examples will be discussed
during this lecture.
You can see the entire Material Xperience 2014 speakers programme here.

How can we build an embassy that

reflects the core values of
democracytransparency,
openness, and equalityand is
welcoming, secure, and highly
sustainable?
Since 1785, when John Adams became the first ambassador to
the Court of St. Jamess, Grosvenor Square has been home to
the US embassy in London. The existing embassy building was
designed by Eero Saarinen in 1960. Half a century later, it had
become over-crowded and unable to meet modern-day security
and workplace needs.

The new embassy is situated in the Nine Elms district, an industrial zone under
intense redevelopment on London's South Bank.

The State Department sought to create a new embassy that

would serve as the centerpiece of one of Americas longeststanding and most valued relationships. It also wanted to pursue
a new paradigm in embassy design, termed Design
Excellence, which emphasizes the role of architecture in
diplomacy. This new model seeks buildings that represent the
ideals of the American governmentgiving priority to
transparency, openness, and equality, and drawing on the best of
American architecture, engineering, technology, art, and culture.
Our challenge for the embassy was to encompass these values,
creating a strong sense of welcome for the community, while also
meeting the functional needs of the building with regard to
security, environmental sustainability, and diplomatic work. The
Nine Elms district, a South Bank industrial zone under intense
redevelopment, offers a unique setting for the new embassy. With
an estimated 1,000 daily visitors, the embassy project is expected
to establish a strong framework for the urbanization of Nine Elms.
Contributing to this revitalization are a civic plaza and park,
connecting the Thames embankment and Nine Elms Lane to a
new pedestrian green way linking Vauxhall to Battersea.

An inward spiral begins at the site edges and is expressed through curving walks and
forms in the landscape design that sweep past the pond to the entry court that opens
to the main lobby.

SITE
The embassy will stand at the center of the site, with the
surrounding park containing a pond, walkways, seating, and
landscape along its edges, all open to the citizens of London. In
contrast to high perimeter walls and fences,security
requirements are achieved through landscape designsuch
as the large pond, low garden walls with bench seating, and
differences in elevation that create natural, unobtrusive barriers.
Curving walkways continue into the interior of the building with
gardens on each floor that extend the spiraling movement
upward, enhancing circulation and providing places to meet.

The spiral of the site continues to the consular entry, which takes the form of a
sloped garden to the building. Inside the building, the path continues upward with
interior gardens on each floor.

Many features of the new embassy serve dual purposes, in

keeping with the need to balance multiple requirements into a
cohesive and coherent whole. We sought to manage holistically
the use of water, energy, and materials in all decisions made
about building systems, integrating them so that they work
together and enhance each other. For instance, just as the pond
serves as a subtle security barrier, it also plays an integral role in
the sites stormwater strategy. Rainwater is absorbed by the earth
or filtered through drainage bioswales and planting trays and
stored in the pond. This reduces the strain on municipal sewer
systems while providing a source for landscape irrigation.
C H A N C E RY
The chancery building is a transparent, crystalline cube
designed to afford generous daylight and views. A highperformance building faade uses multiple-layer laminated
glazing with an outer envelope of ETFE (ethylene
tetrafluoroethylene) to screen excessive solar gain and glare while
allowing a uniform distribution of daylight. The envelope gathers
solar energy and mitigates wind downdrafts, improving the
comfort of the landscaped plazas and walkways below. Like the
landscape, the chancery is designed to be visually engaging
while imperceptibly integrating security measures.

Building Envelope Schematic (multi-axon unit)

Building Envelope Schematic (single-axon)

Conceptual diagram showing layering of program, landscape, systems around a core of

silence and light.

How can we use emerging

technology to create a building
envelope of the future that
integrates all the functions of a

conventional wall into a thin,

transparent plastic film?

Section view of the prototype's thin PET layers as displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt
National
Design
Museum.
Elliott Kaufman

The desire to reimagine the traditional building envelope, and to

replace the expected brick-and-mortar or glass assemblies,
propelled the creation of SmartWrap. It is amass
customizable,
energy-generating,
lightweight,
and
sustainable envelope that integrates the segregated functions of
a conventional wall into a multi-layer skin of just a few millimeters
in thickness, which can be wrapped around the structural frame of
a building.
D E V E LO P M E N T
The research and development of SmartWrap began in
collaboration with industry partners, including DuPont and ILC
Dover (best known for creating space suits for NASA). The
concept needed to combine several technologies from various
industries in order to meet the requirements of shelter, climate
control, lighting, information display, and power. Among the
substrates researched, polyethelyne terephthalate (PET), a
material used in boat sails and soda bottles, proved the best
option for shelter against rain and wind. PET is colorless,
transparent, and inexpensive, with high mechanical strength.
Other layers would contribute additional functionality, including
phase change materials (PCMs) to moderate temperature, and
organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology to supply light and
allow for information display similar to a computer screen. Thinfilm photovoltaic cells and batteries that gather and store solar
energy would take advantage of large surface areas exposed to
the sun on the envelope of a building.

During the development of the first prototype, we pursued emerging systems

including phase change materials (PCMs) for temperature control; organic lightemitting diodes (OLEDs) for lighting and data display, which performed in conjunction
with organic thin-film transistors; and organic photovoltaic cells to power the OLED
system.
Elliott Kaufman

During the development of the first prototype, some of these

technologies were just emerging, and systems had to be attached
to the PET with adherents. But over the course of prototyping, we
developed a method for applying the circuitry via a printing
process similar to silkscreen. Then, the various layers could be
deposition printed onto a single composite film. The first prototype
was unveiled at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in
2003.

Seventy-two SmartWrap panels were made to enclose Cellophane House, an

off-site
fabricated
dwelling.
Peter Aaron/OTTO

EXHIBITION
In 2008, the original concept for SmartWrap was refined and
advanced through the design of Cellophane House, an 1,800square foot dwelling commissioned by The Museum of Modern
Art. To experiment with active and passive thermal strategies, the
SmartWrap wall assembly consisted of four functioning layers
tensioned on an extruded aluminum frame. Each wall panel
included an outer transparent PET weather barrier, an inner PET
layer with thin-film photovoltaic cells, an inner layer of solar heat
and UV blocking film, and an interior layer of PET. A vented cavity
between the PET layers was designed to trap heat in the winter
and vent it in the summer, reducing the amount of energy
required to heat and cool the house. During the exhibition,
sensors on the west facade of the house collected thermal data to
provide a more complete understanding of its insulative and
convective capacity.
Compared
to
current
transparent
envelope
systems,
SmartWrap is designed to realize significant environmental
benefits. SmartWrap is lightweight, resulting in a lower total
embodied energy when compared to glass, and its thinness
results in large surface-area coverage with a minimal volume of
material relative to glass curtainwall assemblies. It can be erected
in a fraction of conventional building time, with greater efficiency.
At the end of its useful life, it can be easily disassembled and fed
into a recycling stream.

How can we create a house that

holistically advances architecture
through agendas of on-site
assembly, design for disassembly,
and reuse of materials?

The project was named to evoke a familiar material and capture the essence of a
sheer
plastic,
thinly
wrapped
residence.
Peter Aaron/OTTO

In 2008, 500 architects were asked to submit proposals for fullscale designs reflecting the current state and future potential
of prefabricated architecture to be evaluated for exhibition at
The Museum of Modern Art. Our scheme, one of five selected for
construction on a site adjacent to the museum, was a five-story
house with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living and dining
space, a roof terrace, and a carport. Its name was chosen to
evoke a familiar material in capturing the concept of a sheer
plastic, thinly wrapped residence.
We had recently completed Loblolly House, an off-site fabricated
home on the Chesapeake Bay, and were seeking to advance our
development of SmartWrap, a lightweight, energy-gathering
building envelope composed of a multi-layer skin just a few
millimeters
thick.
Cellophane
House
refines
these
methodologies and demonstrates a new future that may change
the way the industry models, constructs, and delivers housing.
A S S E M B LY
Cellophane House was assembled like a car: The whole
construction was broken down into integrated assemblies,
called chunks, that were fabricated off site, then delivered via
trailers to the site and stacked on top of each other with a crane.
Eighty percent of the construction was completed in six days.

Cellophane House assembly time lapse taken over six days. Albert Vecerka/Esto

Materials were selected to be lightweight, minimizing embodied

energy, and reusable within existing recycling streams. The same
aluminum frame used for Loblolly House was scaled up from two
stories to five, enabled by a strengthening system of customdesigned steel connectors. The SmartWrap skin was attached
to that frame, with interior floors, ceilings, and partitions made
of structural plastic. The skin was envisioned as a filter,
selectively letting in daylight and seasonal heat and keeping out
UV light and hot or cold air, depending on the season.

The super structure was completed in six days. This image shows a fourth floor
chunk
being
lifted
by
crane.
Albert Vecerka/Esto

Many prefabricated designs succeed in breaking down a building

into modules that can be quickly joined together, but they typically
embody a top-down strategy: design a building, and then devise a
system to make it work. Here, we began with the frame-pluscomponents system as a basis, allowing architecture to grow out
of its opportunities and constraints. Unlike prefabricated housing
in which originality and site-specificity may be lost in the
manufacturing process, Cellophane House is a flexible
system of building that enables multiple outcomes. The frame
can accommodate a variety of materials to suit different needs,
tastes, and budgets; the house can adapt to different sites and
climatic factors, and interior floor plans can be easily rearranged.
D I S A S S E M B LY
The final experiment at MoMA was its disassembly. The house
was deglazed, un-stacked, and disassembled at ground level
using basic handheld tools. Parts were organized on pallets and
removed from the site in two days. Virtually no waste was
generated, and 100 percent of the energy embodied in materials
was recovered. The only remnant was a patch of gravel in an
asphalt lot.

The Next Generation of

SmartWrap

Fabricated in just-in-time sequences, each panel consists of two Bosch frames, with
a combination of plain PET, PET with photovoltaics, and IR blocking material from
3M applied to both sides of the frame.

Can we create a material that combines the ideal functions of a

building envelope into a single product? We began exploring this
question withSmartWrap, a building envelope that has the
potential to generate energy, control climate, and provide lighting
and information display on a single printed substrate.
To develop the material, we pursued emerging systems including
organic LED displays, phase change materials, organic
photovoltaics, heating elements, and a polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) substrate upon which the technology could be printed. We
collaborated with DuPont and ILC Dover to engineer and fabricate
a working prototype, which was displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt
National Design Museum.
When we designed Cellophane House, we took the opportunity
to refine and advance our original concept for SmartWrap and
create a multi-layered wall that could generate energy while
controlling the interior environment of a building.
This next generation of SmartWrap has an outer layer of
transparent PET, with thin-film photovoltaic cells by PowerFilm
adhered to harness solar energy. An inner layer of 3M solar heat
and UV-blocking film lets daylight in while deflecting solar gain. A
vented cavity between the two layers functions to trap heat in the
winter and vent it in the summer, reducing the amount of energy
required to heat and cool the house.
We worked with Universal Services Associates, Inc. in
Philadelphia to fabricate 74 panels to enclose Cellophane

House. They provided these photos to demonstrate the

fabrication process.

USA built a custom table to test and analyze methods of tensioning the PET plastic
film, securing the PET to the Bosch aluminum frames, and laminating the PV cells.

The specially designed table included a generic PV layout template and individual
maps to guide the customization of unique patterns on each panel.

A detail of thin-film PV cells adhered to the PET.

We are currently monitoring the building envelope to see if it

performs as proposed, and will report our findings after the house
has been disassembled
Smartwrap is an ultra-thin polymer-based material made by James Timberlake and Stephen
Kieran of Philadelphia architecture firm KieranTimberlake.
The compound consists of substrate and printed and laminated layers that have been roll-coated
into a single film. The resulting film has the capacity to change color and appearance, as well as
to provide shelter, control interior climates, and offer light and electricity.