If buildings had anamorphic qualities, perhaps natural disasters wouldn't hit communities hard; that's where these water-reacting architectural surfaces come into play. Designed by Chao Chen, a student at the Royal College of Art, the material is inspired by pine cones. Fast Co Design writes, "Picking up a pine cone, he noticed that it reacted to water by closing its outer shell. Now, he has developed a building material, based on the pine cone's anatomy, that can shapeshift in response to weather."
By studying this reaction, Chen designed water-reacting architectural surfaces out of fabric, a thin film and veneer. He created a few examples of how this unique material could be used including a small shelter, color-revealing surfaces and a sophisticated water detector.
Water-Reacting Architectural Surfaces
Student Chao Chen Designs a Shapeshifting Laminate
Trend Themes
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Water-reactive Surfaces — The development of water-reactive surfaces for architectual environments presents an opportunity to create structures that are more adaptable to changing weather conditions and natural disasters.
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Nature-inspired Design — Exploring and adapting natural elements like pine cones for building materials can lead to more sustainable, innovative solutions within the architecture industry.
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Smart Building Materials — The incorporation of sophisticated technologies like water detectors and color-revealing surfaces into building materials can increase functionality and resiliency in structures.
Industry Implications
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Architecture — The architecture industry can benefit from exploring and implementing water-reactive materials, as well as incorporating elements of nature and technology for more sustainable, adaptable structures.
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Construction — The construction industry can utilize water-reactive materials to build more resilient and functional structures that can better withstand natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.
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Smart Building Technology — The development and integration of sophisticated technologies like water detectors and color-revealing surfaces within building materials can present significant opportunities for the smart building technology industry.