Performative Skin: Surface-based Sustainability

PERFORMATIVE SKIN: Lab 3: Material Poetics 445 Building Systems Fall 2013 Christopher Taurasi Instructor: Josh Hellmann

SURFACE-BASED

SUSTAINABILITY

“ Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams; we are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.� - Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

1. Position Statement - Concept 2. Systemic Tectonic, Material & Experiential - Criteria 3. Precedents & Diagrams - Case Studies

1 2-3 4-23

4. Process Refinement - Translation

24-45

5. Application & Manipulation - Resolution

46-53

6. Citations & Bibliography

54-55

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Position Statement - Concept

In the context of a building, the term skin refers to an exterior material which may or may not enclose or seal the building. This is different from the building envelope which is the primary barrier between exterior and interior conditions. Needless to say this division is crucial however, in current architectural practice, the building envelope is merely a reactive construction. That is, the envelope responds to existing environmental

conditions and separates them from the desired interior conditions. It is my belief that the building envelope should not be divorced from the building skin, but rather that the two be fully integrated generating a proactive building system. One that is not only able to separate interior from exterior, but also capable of benefitting the overall building performance and incorporate self-sufficient systems of energy production. This is the concept

of the performative skin -- a building assemblage which can accommodate the specificities of every inch of the building’s exterior.

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Systemic Tectonic, Material & Experiential - Criteria

Systemic Tectonic: The bare tectonic nature of a performative skin assemblage resembles a space frame. At times this merges with the standard building envelope to form a double layer faรงade. Elsewhere alternative enclosure systems are plugged into the frame based on solar or wind orientation or other programmatic drivers. These systems include solar and wind energy production,

shading or screening mechanisms, thermally active masses, ventilation and evaporative cooling, food production, phytoremediation, water catchment, etc. It is important to note that this is a surface based application. The need for columns or bearing walls subside and the categorical divisions between faรงade, wall, floor and roof are blurred.

Material: A performative skin is not defined

by predominant material but rather resembles a patchwork materials which are specifically chosen to enhance the overall functionality of the system.

Experiential Qualities: At points the depth of the performative skin assembly swell to create inhabitable spaces.

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Precedents & Diagrams - Case Studies

The following section assesses a diverse set of built and conceptual projects which use proactive skin and envelope systems. What differentiates these from the concept of a performative skin is that these operate in a singular fashion. A performative skin would integrate all these (along with systems not covered) into a single fabric.

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Integrated Solar - Oficina Vidre Negre, Damilano Studio Architects, Piemonte, Italy

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Integrated Solar - ICDS Faรงade CASE - Center For Architecture Science and Technology

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Integrated Wind - Tower Of Power NL Architects, Taichung, Taiwan

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Solar Control / Daylighting - Bloom DO|SU Studio, Architecture Los Angeles, California

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60 째

80 째

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Solar Control / Daylighting & Social Space - Daimler AG Headquarters, Behnisch Architekten, Stuttgart, Germany

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Solar Control / Daylighting & Energy Production - Biq House, Splitterwerk Architects, Hamburg, Germany

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Thermal Storage / Thermally Active - Kunsthaus Bregenz, Peter Zumthor, Bregenz, Austria

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Natural Ventilation - KFW Westarkade Sauerbruch Hutton Frankfurt, Germany

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Evaporative Cooling & Social Space - KMC Corporate Office RMA Architects, Hyderabad, India

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Process Refinement - Translation

In further assessing the systems covered in the previous section, it is important to distill the information into potential applique. This following section reassesses the systems in a schematic fashion -- applying rough dimensions. Here, the systems are mainly represented vertically, however, it is understood that many of the systems can operate at varying degrees between horizontal and vertical.

1'-4" 26

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Integrated Solar / Energy Production

2'-0" 28

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Integrated Solar / Energy Production

5'-6" 30

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Integrated Wind / Energy Production

12'-0" 32

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Solar Control / Daylighting & Social Space

2'-4" 34

35

Solar Control / Daylighting & Energy Production

2'-4" 36

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Thermal Storage / Thermally Active

2'-2" 38

39

Natural Ventilation

6'-6" 40

41

Evaporative Cooling / Social Space

4'-8" 42

43

Phytoremediation

44

3'-6"

45

Green Roof / Growing Wall / Water Catchment

46

5

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Application & Manipulation - Resolution

The first step of applying the performative skin concept is defining the building massing. From here a space frame and paneling system can be devised. In this particular application the paneling system is derived from traditional paper folding techniques. A geometry was chosen which would allow each panel to have exposure to elements from multiple directions. This maximized the performative nature of each panel

-- southern faces could be fitted with solar panels or growing walls/green roofs, cupped areas could be used for water catchment, framing at higher altitudes could be fitted with vertical wind turbines, and so on.

The end product is a design which goes beyond isolated reactive systems and moves towards a proactive performative skin.

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Citations & Bibliography

Leatherbarrow, David, and Mohsen Mostafavi. Surface Architecture. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2002. Print.

Douglis, Evan. Autogenic Structures. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2009. Print.

Kolarevic, Branko. Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing. New York, NY: Spon, 2003. Print.

Watts, Andrew. Modern Construction Facades. Wien: Springer, 2005. Print.

Brock, Linda. Designing the Exterior Wall: An Architectural Guide to the Vertical Envelope. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2005. Print.

Yang, J., P. S. Brandon, and A. C. Sidwell. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub., 2005.

Print.

Lovell, Jenny. Building Envelopes: An Integrated Approach. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2010. Print.