Differentiated Topographies II

Differentiated Topographies II project is part of the broader research agenda that addresses integration of new material behaviors into material assemblies. The aim of this research is to re-think architectural assemblies as adaptive and dynamic material systems. Technology transfers from fields such as material science, biomimetics, autonomous robotics, interface design and computation are not only influencing the range of materials that could be used in architecture but the very scale at which they could be deployed and distributed within a material system. The project presented here brings together two strategies for designing adaptive architectural skins. One is concerned with building a light structure with significant variability by aggregating small self-similar components. The other focuses on the integration and distribution of soft inflatable elements (pneu muscles) for actuating regions of the aggregated structure. The proposed system reflects a deep interest in the development of a component-based material system whose properties range from rigid (self-supporting) to pliable (dynamic).

| Design Principal: Vera Parlac |

| Research Assistant: Henna Gabriel and Sean Doherty |