Nature has yet to challenge human technology when it comes to energy. improve its efficiencyAfter all, one mishandling of energy resources can be a matter of life and death for a predator or its prey. And given that nature has his four billion year head start, it’s completely understandable that natural ecosystems have become a source of inspiration for improving our lives. increase. Energy managementOne of the latest examples of this trend is the pine and fir cones.
Let’s start with the problem. Buildings must absorb and dissipate heat. To do this, we use various systems such as electric blinds. Unfortunately, such devices have their own power consumption. What if we used some kind of mechanism that required no power at all to function?Cordt Zollfrank, a chemist, forest scientist, and materials researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), said that no energy input was required. I came up with the idea of using a plant structure that moves to .
We all know that pine and fir cones come in different shapes that open and close in response to moisture. The cell wall of the cone is composed of lignin and cellulose. The former does not swell much, but the latter swells quite easily. Therefore, when the atmosphere is moist, the conical scales bend inward. When dry, it will bend outwards. Seeds are therefore released only when the weather is warm and dry.
This unique behavior of conifer cones can be replicated at home in an experiment proposed by Scientific American magazine. This allows you to teach your children some of the principles of nature at home.
Inspired by this autonomous movement, Zollfrank and his team are developing a system that can respond to atmospheric humidity. It is based on cellulose and requires no other materials, making it completely sustainable and renewable. The study, published in the journal Advanced Materials, explores potential arenas with canopies that react to rain and sunlight. But now they face his one big hurdle. The larger the cells and tissues, the longer it takes for water to penetrate through the pores. This means that large buildings can take years to react to a stormy day. Fortunately, nanotechnology came to the rescue. Zollfrank and his team believe that using microscopic individual cells would react quickly enough to make the technology viable.
The second skin of the building, the hypermembrane
Modern architecture strives to transform buildings beyond passive structures into reactive systems that can adapt to changing weather conditions. One example of this reactive architecture is Hypermembrane. Technology, a project launched by Spanish architects and supported by the European Union. Designed as a structure that can cover facades and roofs to suit building requirements. Its free-form element means it can be used on any kind of surface, regardless of its complexity. This technology also allows the creation of cost-competitive independent temporary structures.
Hypermembrane has a physical side and a digital side. On the one hand, it uses physical elements that are assembled on demand. On the other hand, we use dedicated software to calculate the optimal structure for light exposure, breathability, elasticity, resistance to stress, etc. Currently, Hypermembrane structures are only static, but the long-term goal is to develop mobile structures that can adapt to weather conditions, like the coniferous cones mentioned above.
Fuente: popular science
