image: phoosh | Flickr

As new emerging technologies surface, the idea of “transition” will take on entirely new form. Not only will “transition” continue to exist between building materials (like you see in buildings today), but “transition” will also be present within a material’s properties — changing the very nature of how a particular material behaves at any given time.

For instance, smart materials will be able to change in real time as certain variables like temperature, light or stress trigger them. Similarly, new sensing technologies will come together to yield smart environments where ubiquitous computing is tuned to give occupants a more personalized experience.

Furthermore, as nanotechnology and biomimetic systems rise into the forefront, you as an architect will need to consistently rethink how building materials typically function — by building for them from the bottom up.

The “rules” behind designing for material behavior are changing and new smart material systems will give you a new kind of flexibility which you can optimize by taking both function and form to entirely new levels.

A key to doing this is to rethink your notion of design “transition”.

A Systems Approach to Designing with Building Materials

The biomimicry expert, Janine Benyus, says it best as she states that “The material is the system“. You see, it is within materials that we as designers can unleash new forms and functions to optimize our buildings — making them more sustainable, healthy, meaningful and beautiful.

By thinking of building materials down to the nano- scale, your design decisions as an architect will involve more of a “systems” way of thinking as opposed to the, as I have heard Janine Benyus call it, more typical “layered” approach to solving design problems.

Use “transition” as a way to unlock problems within an existing design system and as a way to capture inspiration from external forces that will trigger and react to your built environment. Think of how your occupant will experience your space, in all of its dimensions, and then ask yourself to rethink “transition” as you design.

To get you started, here are three questions to ask yourself:

1. If materials within your building’s design could “move” in real-time, how would you want them to move and why? Think aesthetics, function, efficiency, sustainability and human comfort. (As if your materials could gain “super-powers”, think beyond what materials today can do.)
2. What would be the resulting effect of such transient material “movements”? What new forms and functions would they allow? How could they help or hurt your occupant’s experience or the surrounding natural environment?
3. Is there a way to incorporate new transient materials to not only strengthen your building’s weak spots (design challenges) — but to ultimately strengthen the building as a whole (design opportunities)? What would your materials need to be able to “move” in the way you want? Think self-actuating, kinetics, weathering, interactivity, adaptation and so on.

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

image: johndisalvo | Flickr

Sustainable Systems Working Together as a Whole

Light, water, temperature, air quality and renewable resources typically come to mind when talking about sustainable design, and to see these innovative green building issues tackled in one building project is wonderful.

In this article I am calling particular attention to the LEED Platinum rated Genzyme Center located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Within this building project designed by Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner, sustainable systems work to create not only an energy-efficient environment, but also a healthier workplace for the approximate 900 employees who work there.

As you will see in the online virtual tour (at the end of this article), key building features include heliostats, an intricate prismatic chandelier and reflective ceiling panels that all contribute to providing interior spaces with abundant natural light. In addition, converging building systems serve to control airflow, prismatic louvers, operable windows, water sensors, automated perforated blinds and a loggia.

All in all, the Genzyme Center serves as a leading example of how you, as an architect, can integrate many sustainable building systems to work together within one building.

Harness Control to Yield Comfort

Giving individual employees control over things like lighting and temperature within their office spaces really helps to improve not only their individual environment, but ultimately the overall Genzyme corporate culture as well.

Control of one’s own comfort is critical in office building designs that intend to foster creativity, productivity and collaboration. Also, incorporating variety by fusing systems that can change and adjust over time to variables like outside weather, group gatherings or even daily lunch preferences can go a long way to boosting moral and productivity.

To see a virtual tour of The Genzyme Center you can visit the following link. Once there, you will have access to a series of short videos that show exactly how this building’s systems work.

This is a definite must see.

To take your virtual tour click [here].

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

It is my hope that these simple “captured moments” will spark an idea for you regarding architecture’s interplay with nature. As architects, we always should be aware of our green environment…for so many reasons. It is important that we build with our environment and not against it. Here are nine simple reasons why:

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

Image: Dejanj01 | Dreamstime

This article is the third article in a three part series. To read the first and second article in the series, please click on the links below:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1
• Previous Article: Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2

THE MANY TYPES OF FEAR

There are so many places where just approaching a building can cause fear, simply because of the institution type. Take hospitals, for instance. Patients like to feel safe and that they’re getting the best treatment; however, factors like medical technologies that beep and buzz make sounds that can sometimes cause patients to feel fear during their recovery process.

That is one type of fear, but there are others. What about hotel security? For that matter, what about office buildings located in urban settings where their mere locations can pose a threat to occupants.

A building can be wonderful inside, but the way it meets its surrounding site and interacts with its surrounding neighbors can work wonders when trying to turn fear into feelings of safety for occupants.

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR LANDSCAPE

Actually, simple things can make a big difference. For instance, for apartment complexes you might want to pay particular attention to the height of bushes and the location of the garbage dumpster. It is found that persons “up to no-good” can hide behind or within such nooks.

Another simple thing you can do is to pay attention to how you light the exterior of your building. In addition to creating an entry that is visible so others may offer natural surveillance, lighting can often deter your building from becoming a scary experience for your occupants as they approach and enter at night.

Often, simple solutions can be sparked during the design phase of your building project and you can begin to turn an otherwise fearful experience into a secure one.

BRINGING GREEN-SPACE AND COMMUNITY INDOORS

A bit more complex is dealing with the type of fear that can cause anxiety within a space and actually deter your occupant from having a joyful, healthy and productive experience.

Let’s go back to our original hospital example from the beginning of this article. Fostering community can go a long way to not only reduce feelings of fear, but promote feelings of safety. (1) In a hospital this is extremely important, as too much anxiety and stress can actually have a detrimental affect on a patient’s healing process.

Similar to what I explained in my previous article entitled Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2, greenery and community are vital. For our hospital example, these principles can be integrated into the interior. For instance, it has been found that patients with a view of a tree from their hospital room window recover significantly better than those with no view. The same can be said for patients that have a common space within or near their room for their visitors (like family and friends).

Although designing for green areas and shared community spaces might seem simple and somewhat obvious, the trick is to implement these in innovative ways. Once you understand how such simple mind-shifts can improve your designs, your buildings will inherently be able to reduce fear and foster feelings of safety in the right places and at just the right times.

READ THE PREVIOUS ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES

This article is the third article in a three part series. To read the first and second article in the series, please click on the links below:

• Previous Article: Designing Architecture for a Sense of Building Safety — Part 1
• Previous Article: Keeping Your Occupants Safe by Building Community — Part 2

(1) Earthbeat – Safety in cities and the architecture of fear. RNW – Radio Netherlands Worldwide. On Air: September 17-19, 2009.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman

Image: justHugo | Flickr

Richard Whitehall is an industrial designer and partner at Smart Design where he works to design what he calls “responsible behavior”. I found this great article, here, where you can see exactly what goes on daily at this industrial designer’s desk.

I like this article because within it are some gems that might help you design places for better occupant interactions. Here are some of his ideas that I think make his designs successful — really promoting green human behavior…

1 — Persuade people through cues. (1)

2 — It’s important to observe people using a product or design. The way they say they use them is often not how they use them. Plus, your view as a designer may be entirely different than their view. You should consider both. (1)

3 — Go for changing “small practices” with your design. All of these will eventually add up and make a big difference. (1)

4 — Use texture, instead of adding more materials to get a “decorative effect” (1)

5 — Aim to “optimize the efficiency” of a user. (1)

6 — An idea is to create a feedback loop so you can encourage a person to continue or stop certain habits. (1)

7 — Focus on “experiences and systems” so you can understand how “people interact with objects and information”. (1)

8 — Don’t just build products that are, themselves, sustainable. Build products that change people’s behaviors. (1)

9 — Discouraging behaviors can also be as important as encouraging them. (1)

10 — Look at what is currently on the market and find ways to make them better. (1)

(1) Whitehall, Richard. Designing Responsible Behavior Workbench. Seedmagazine.com.

© 2008-2011 Sensing Architecture by Maria Lorena Lehman