PROJECTS: Self-Ventilating
By using solar energy, a thermobimetal system can be smartly designed to block the sun. This strategy is especially useful when trying to prevent solar heat gain and glare to enter a building, while using no energy and needing no controls.
Mini-Tower
June 2014
Ongoing Reearch
Project Description
Geometry is critical in determining the behavior of thermobimetal. To put it simply, when cut long and thin, the piece of material curls in one direction; When cut in an equilateral shape, the resulting action is a twist. This control can be applied to self-assembly systems and useful at micro-scales (too small for human hands or tools), in hard-to-reach situations (inside corners), in inhospital climates (underwater or outerspace), and in cases where skill is absent (disaster relief construction). These ongoing studies test various shapes, patterns and assembly sequences in hopes to find new, easy and cost-effective methods of construction.
Credits and Information
MATERIALS: Thermobimetal, stainless steel, steel, acrylic
PROJECT TEAM: Doris Sung, Isaac Chen, Stephanie Truong, Raymond Tran, Justin Kang, Lisa Phillips