Challenging the traditional presumption that building skins are static and inanimate, this applied research project examines the replacement of this convention with one that posits the prosthetic layer between man and his environment as a responsive and active skin. Using sheet thermobimetals (TBM), a smart material that automatically curls when heated, iand Nitinol, a wire material that shrinks when heated, building surfaces can self-ventilate and reduce its dependency on mechanical air conditioning. With today’s digital technology and driving interest in sustainable design, this simple material can transcend its currently limited role as a mechanical device to a dynamic building surface material as well as expand the discourse of the performative architecture. 

We want to develop two codependent systems in an effort to heightened performance of thermobimetal and Nitinol combinations: an interactive, hybrid system of the two dynamic materials operating simultaneously and a compatible system of oscillating performance where one material performs while the other remains static. The results of these two systems will be applied to a curtain wall glass panel system and to a bris-soleil surface intended for easy installation in commercial applications. With the use of complex digital softwares, structural and performance models will determine the optimal geometry. It is likely that these off-the-shelf softwares have to be custom altered to be useful to the process. In some cases, scripting will be method of choice. The combination of these new technologies with traditional systems and materials will produce forms that are otherwise impossible to imagine.

Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ms5qoMO3gQ

**Doris Sung** (US). After receiving her BA at Princeton University and M.Arch. at Columbia University, Doris Sung worked in various offices in cities across the U.S. before arriving in Los Angeles in 2001. She developed her research focus while teaching at University of Southern California (USC), the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), University of Colorado and the Catholic University of America. In 1999, she opened her office, dO|Su Studio Architecture, and soon received many AIA and ASID awards for her work.