Smart and Nano Materials in Architecture

Abstract

We describe and analyze the fields of Smart and Nano Materials and their potential impact on architectural design and building fabrication. Distinguishing Smart and Nano materials, Smart Materials perform both sensing and actuating operations, whereas many Nano materials are capable of self-assembly. In general, Smart and Nano materials can perform like living systems, simulating human skin, the body’s muscles, a leaf’s chlorophyll and self-regeneration. Recognizing that the traditional partition between Materials Science and Architecture is obsolete, our intent is to show how these two fields are intrinsically connected, while growing evermore symbiotic as we progress into the futureKeeping the designer in mind, our paper begins with the question: “What Nano and Smart materials can be used in future architectural designs?” Outlining what such materials might mean for architectural fabrication and design, we claim that Smart and Nano Materials can imitate living organisms. Effective implementation of these materials will therefore allow designed spaces to operate as active organs within a larger dynamic organism, synthesizing both expressive intent and pragmatic considerations. This paper is a collaboration between an architect and a materials scientist on the future of materials and their influence in architecture. By giving examples of work already underway we intend to illustrate and suggest directions ranging from the functional to the expressive, from tectonics to morphology. We conclude with a reflection on the importance of future research between our two areas of knowledge.