Nature and technology are often thought of in separate terms. Sometimes you see the two juxtaposed, but in more and more buildings today your are now seeing them work side-by-side, feeding into one another’s space — not struggling against each other, but working well together. This is the power of building green by using technology.

In the project called Vertical Eco-Cibernetic City, by Orlando De Urrutia, you can see all of this. This building, inspired by the base of a tree (which extends to look for light from above) is designed as an “alive machine”. The designer’s intent is to create building systems which are self-sufficient and bio-climatic. In short, this design takes advantage of the many aspects of nature and feeds them into the building, creating quite an amazing architectural display.

Putting Architectural Technology to Good Use

An instance of what I am talking about can be seen in this building’s skin, which uses nanotechnology through geometric façade patterns. Such a skin takes advantage of light and shade while also incorporating “vegetal panels”.

Technology is also incorporated into the building through communication networks, which can be seen through the façade system of photovoltaic lattices. Such lattices serve to give energy to the forward facing LED screens to ultimately create a large multimedia façade which spans the vertical height of the building.

In the following video you will be able to see renderings, diagrams and flow charts, which more fully explain this project. I think it is a great example of what architects can achieve by aiming to merge the power of nature with the power of architectural technology and design.

Take a look:

Please note: You may need to turn down your volume if you are at work.

Please Tell Me What You Think

I would really like to get your feedback on my post today, so please leave me a comment in the form below. And if you enjoyed it, make sure you share it with your Twitter followers by “tweeting” it using the re-tweet button on this page.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Can your building speak for its city?

With the rise of social media and other easy ways to communicate your whereabouts, moods or thoughts — buildings are becoming a canvas on which a population can paint their collective information.

The Emotional Cities, a 4-month light installation project, is doing just that. City dwellers can log in their current moods and the building displays certain colors on its façade to reflect those moods.

So, why can’t buildings talk back? Why stop the conversation there?

IMPACTING A CULTURE

Once buildings get better at absorbing and translating information, they will eventually be able to make some sense of it (going beyond simply displaying an “averaged” color on its façade).

In the meantime, let’s enjoy the process of seeing ourselves “reflected” at these larger scales, and in these creative ways. Perhaps we’ll learn something new about ourselves, where we live and how we relate to one another.

Yet again, architecture can impact a culture.

Here’s the first baby-step.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman