Nano-Technologies and the Future of Architecture by Tim Evans

Contents:_ _6

_Abstract

_Methods and Methodology

_8 _Fundamentals _14 _Emergence of Nanotechnology _15 _Practical Applications _18 _Fields of Nanotechnology _23 _Conceptual Projects Using Nanotechnology _26 _Steps Towards Reality _28 _Building a Nano Technology _33 _Conclusion _36

_Bibliography

_Abstract

With the ever-increasing demand on new building developments, how can emerging nano-technologies like molecular assemblers, Nano scale robotics and selfreplicating machines make an evolving architecture? Over the last few years major developments have been made in the ‘bottom up approach’ to Nano design in both mechanical and organic systems although it is suggested that future proposals of architecture look into a unison of cellular based assemblers and mechanical constructs. Nano technology is a broad subject that is predicted to improve efficiency in medical studies, material construction, material adaptation, computer architecture, robotics and organic and mechanical fusion (Kurzweil, 2005 pp 183). Nano is a scale of measurement denoting a factor of 10-9 and the definition of Nano technologies is a component that deals with dimensions of less than 100 nanometers. There is already over 300 consumer products available that incorporate these technologies to help improve the efficiency of older products like selfcompacting concrete, self cleaning material coatings (lotus Effect), Easy to clean materials (ETC) and many more. Most of these products are a final addition to ready made products although many pioneering architects James Muir with the University of Technology, Sydney is building the ‘Nano House’, (arch.uiuc.edu, 2012). Plus Peter Testa Architects in Los Angeles with the Carbon Tower (testawieser.com, 2012), are now looking at technologies that will employ the bottom up approach to construct new types of materials molecule by molecule. Over the course of this document I will unpack and explore these conceptual ideas and how they will change the design of architecture and the possibilities for the “Grey-Goo Principle” (E, Drexler 1986). This scenario originally presented by Eric Drexler in his book Engines of Creation (1986) is his interpretation of ecophagy or “eating the environment”, where the molecular assemblers that can assemble products in the real world situation will continue working and/or mutate after they have completed there task by self-replicating and producing products continually until they have consumed all the resources.

“Nanotechnology can make a concrete contribution to the following areas: • Optimization of existing products • Damage Protection • Reduction in weight and/or volume • Reduction in the number of production stages • A more efficient use of materials • Reduced need for maintenance (easy to clean, longer cleaning intervals) and/or operational upkeep And as a direct result: • Reduction in the consumption of raw materials and energy and reduced CO2 emissions • Conservation of resources • Greater economy • Comfort” (El-Sammy, 2008)

_Methodology

Over the course of this document I will first examine the theoretical grounding of nanotechnology by Eric Drexler (1986) and explore its implications for the future in construction. I also consider the views of other scientists and science fiction writers in relation to extreme architectural design. There are multiple sources for this information as it is generic knowledge presented by various physicists that has been tried and tested continually over the last 36 years.

Diamond Nano-Tip. The tip has a radius of 10 nm. Credit: William King

_Fundamentals

When it comes to assembling materials at a Nanoscopic scale there are five recognised approaches that can be used in constructing components: TOP DOWN: This works in the same way that many products are manufactured today, imagine how an ice sculpture works with a large block of ice to create an elegant carving. This relies on starting with a large quantity of the molecules required and breaking away at them layer by layer until you get the required component. The advantages of this process is that because it is already used on a larger scale its process can work on a smaller scale by using more precise cutting tools, however this method has only recently made it into nano scale and the CNC routing required can struggle with complex shapes while being wasteful with materials that can’t be recycled back into the process with 100% efficiency.

Tetrapods increasing surface tension of a material Image: Xin Jin

BOTTOM UP: This is currently the main focus from crowd sourced research centres as this process has the potential to build components atom by atom. This will allow us to create fully customised materials and therefore customised components of the great efficiency which will also be a step to meet E.U. rulings over maximising sustainability A Sustainable Europe for a Better World, (2001). Bottom-up manufacturing works in the same way a mechano set does, the process allows you to bond atoms together in the order that you need so that the components can be built as small as possible. FUNCTIONAL APPROACH: This focuses on producing components of a specific functionality regardless of the methods used to produce them, this is useful for molecular scale electronics as well as synthetically chemical methods. This process has for example been used to create a ‘nano car’ which is a single molecule with four wheels, designed by Rice University in 2005.

zinc oxide crystal is shaped like a tetrapod Image: Xin Jin

BIOMIMETIC APPROACH: The use of bio-nanotechnology uses natural techniques used in nature to produce the required outcome. This study is used in DNA research that is important to nanotechnology as I explain later. The final approach is less refined and is known as the speculative approach, this considers the possibilities for future like nano robotics, nano systems and programmable matter. This category can be expanded upon as we develop new technologies and increase our understanding of how forces work at the atomic and Nanoscopic level. I will focus more on the bottom up approach, as this is the basis for molecular assemblers that will be able to construct components efficiently and quickly from a resource of basic elements. This is where the majority of the research has been carried out as this will develop the framework for developing other technologies. In architectural terms this would allow us to develop new designs that don’t have to adhere to current restrictions of building requirements. We can develop designs to accommodate new possibilities of thinner walls, greater spans between supports and many of more abstracted building designs. A top down approach is similar to how we work with materials today and therefore design accordingly. Using this method in nanotechnology will allow us to improve the efficiency of our materials however it will not affect the architectural design and so I will not be focusing on top down methodologies for this document. There are two levels of molecular constructors. The one we are closer to realising is a constructor that will assemble molecules together that can for example, assemble molecules of specific materials to grow a larger structure to a designed system, the other option has been used in science fiction for many years is a

molecular assembler that can custom build materials atom by atom. This option is still a long way off as this will allow 100 percent custom materials that will have a very high atomic precision that can create bonds between atoms to build molecules. This has also been known as a replicator in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and is considered as a 24th century technology that can build anything with a recorded molecular structure, provided that it is a stable substance. However it cannot build a living organism or molecules in a constant state of flux because of the low resolution. My main focus for this article will be on the Nano robotics, the methods of construction and how this affects the design process used by architects, to generate new materials, and through this to change the character of architectural designs. With carbon nanotubes we can currently reach a tensile strength of 63 GPA which is over 50 times greater than steel with a theoretical GPA of 300. In architectural terms this will allow us to produce skyscrapers many times taller with substantially thinner support beams that can open up a space creating a better user experience. Another product of these could potentially increase the average span of a truss from around 8 meters to over 100 meters. Buildings would now allow entire floors to be open with very little support beams allowing unique spaces to be created with seemingly impossible structural logic (Min-Feng Yu et al, 2000). After understanding the tolerances of various materials and how far we can push them with these kinds of technologies, I look at conceptual proposals made by architects, like the ‘nano house’ and ‘carbon tower’ that develop the possibilities of these nano materials. There are a few architects like John M. Johansen who have generated a conceptual city that relies on the

A Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gear train manufactured on silicon. The larger gear at center is about 80 microns wide. (Institute of Micromachine and Microfabrication Research at Simon Fraser University)

possibilities of nanotechnology, and looks at the design entirely differently to the current approach(2005). Some designs spur towards Ray Kurzweil’s (2005) theories of an approach to the ‘Singularity’, which is explained as the point at which we have the technology to combine organic knowledge into a mechanical form, or the unification of man and nature. With multiple projections about how emerging Nano technologies and swarm architecture will influence design I will be able to compare and contrast between these theories trying to understand what will actually be possible in improving the design within extreme architectural conditions. The main school in the UK with varied departments in nanotechnology is the Institute

of Nanotechnology (IoN) founded in 1997 and funded by the UK’s National Initiative on Nanotechnology (nano. org.uk). They work with international universities to develop all aspects of ‘Nano’, currently there are no architecture related courses as the focus is currently on developing the material qualities and molecular assemblers. Swarm Architecture is based on a system of assemblers working together. Within nanotechnology ‘nanobots’ work together under the control of a central processing in order to produce a finished building. Nano systems will be the central part in order for new construction and material properties to transition into architecture, using theories in broadcast architecture as well. This is a solution proposed to prevent the ‘Grey Goo’ principal from occurring by offering commands to bots individually, limiting their intelligence to what is required to perform a single task.

Film still The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2008. A swarm of nano robots that are consuming a football stadium to break down and gather resources to construct new alien structures.

_Emergence of NanoTechnology

Nanotechnology is “capable of producing any chemically stable structure that can be specified” (R. Feynmann, 1945). This then promoted physicistdesigner William Katavolos to start studying the affect of Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) in architecture by imagining the construction of a large floating city. He could see that with the knowledge of chemical composition and advanced production methods materials could be built with specific functions programmed into them individually (John Johansen, 2002). New techniques in micro scale visualization allow us to study molecules that exist at a few billionths of a meter, the atomic force microscope allows us to understand the compositions of materials down to their atomic structure. This is on the nano-scopic scale in which light waves affect products differently and so cannot be seen using traditional levels (R. F. Egerton, 2005). It was this technology that allowed us to develop the bottom up principle from Eric Drexler in his published book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, from which he, “took inspiration from biological systems to predict the engineering of molecular-scale machines”(R. Armstrong, 2008 p87). He suggested that mechanical robots could carry out industrial roles at a nanoscopic level precisely and quickly. “In biological systems, a bottom up strategy has been adopted for the hierarchical structuring of molecules”, (Shimomura, 2001 p12). Nano scale is currently far more interesting than kilo, milli, micro, pico and femto because at this scale molecules act differently and have unique characteristics that cannot be seen when scaled, these are called metamaterials.

_Practical Applications

Daimler Chrysler is working with thermoplastics and manipulating the nanoparticles within the composites to re-invent parts for the motor industry, he is currently working on a new material for hardtop cars but it will allow stronger and lighter parts to replace the steel and aluminium currently used. However some of the complications of using materials at their atomic scale bring forward many problems due to a current uncertainty with the understanding of quantum physics. The atoms can change size, colour and properties unexpectedly, which makes them very hard to work with. John B Pendry has been working with optics within plasmonic metamaterials that theoretically allow light to be transmitted through the skin of a device, which in science fiction films is known as a ‘cloaking’ device. If this were to be used on an industrial scale within the skin of a building it could open up new possibilities and create light and influential spaces within the dark crevices of our cities. We would be able to light an underground bunker with the views of the penthouse suite by redirecting light naturally without the power hungry demand on light emitting diodes.

A micro model created in the eye of a needle by Wilard Wigan in Birmingham, If we can fit a micro model of this detail inside the eye, imagine what the size of a nano model would be. If we were to write on the inside rim so that each letter is a few atoms high we could fit the entire British encyclopaedia.

For the architectural industry one of the most intriguing inventions of the 21st century has to be an 11-nanometre rotary motor that consists of a “bacterial protein and a metallic nanorod”, (C Montemagno, 2006, pp 327-361) powered only by the chemical energy contained within cells. This unification of mechanical and bacterial substance enabled the motor to rotate eight times a second. Originally invented at the University of Cincinnati has been improved by the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory at the Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, to create a NanoCar powered by light. I see this device as important for architecture because it could be manipulated as the new ‘builder’ for buildings. This device would be the fundamental component in a bottom-up construction system that could transport base materials and construct them into architecture in the millions.

Models of Barack Obama, each made with approximately 150 million tiny carbon nanotubes, are photographed using an electron microscope by University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering Department (2008)

“Nano-vehicles could ultimately be incorporated into biological systems to create radically new ways for manipulating biological materials in architectural practice” (R. Armstrong, 2008 p88). This ultimately would enable us to design an environment in which nature and industry could work in harmony, as I will explain in the conceptual designs chapter with John M Johansen.

Single Molecule NanoCar 2 by 4 Nanometres

_Fields of Nano Technology Nanotechnologies are often combined into groups with genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR), Rachel Armstrong refers to this paradigm as ‘Systems Architecture’ in Systems Architecture: A New Model For Sustainability… (2009). Ray Kurzweil writes about GNR as an overlapping progression of discovery and believes that we are currently in the early stages of genetics and still have a long way to go before we can successfully explain and practically synthesise nanotechnology and robotics. He explains that the three topics (GNR) will be three steps and that once we understand the first (genetics) we will be able to advance our understanding of nanotechnology and then by compiling both of these we will be able to control and build robots at the nano scale. “Humans will remain ‘second class robots’, meaning that biology will never be able to match what we will be able to engineer once we fully understand biology’s principles of operation” (Kurzweil, 2005 pp 401). The majority of our understanding of genetics and nano technology comes from studying animals that have adapted to survive in unique circumstances. This allows us to study the different parts of the genetics which can help us to build a mechanical version with the hope of adapting and improving these ideas. By using the information we hope to gain from genetics we can re-program biological cells to carry out a set task by broadcasting information to it. Enzymes are biological machines that already make, break and rearrange bonds holding other molecules together with the DNA as the computer controlling them. This is the basis of the research into mechanical assemblers.

To build a mechanical molecular assembler at a nano scale it requires a computer (intelligence of the global aim), instruction architecture (single-agent task to be carried out each bot), instruction transmission (broadcasting to each bot), construction robot, robot arm tip (atomic precision mechanical arm) and energy. The whole process was originally presented in 1992 by Eric Drexler as a desktop sized box, although since then using modern technology to bring the possibilities up to the cutting edge the process has been updated by Ralph Merkle, J. Storrs Hall, Forrest Bishop and Chris Phoenix, as well as many other pioneers that have developed components or systems that work to improve the vision. Although there are many speculations about the possibilities there is believed to be some negative affects that this technology could have on the economy. If everyone had access to a desktop manufacturing nanofactory would the construction industry become limited to constructing items that can not be assembled by small components? No one would require factories to mass produce products as the blueprints could be downloaded and essentially printed into the product. This could make architects and designers the only necessary role within the construction industry but is this theory a realistic projection (John Burch, 2003)? The first Nanobot (Single Molecular Assembler) that has been successfully built is an organic cell that has had its genetic DNA modified to carry out a single task. Rachel Armstrong has been studying a field similar to this with the Protocell which is a cell formed of a few chemicals without DNA that will carry out a single task continually (as mentioned in the emergence of nanotechnology). This unification has brought us the ‘NanoCar’ and other machines less than 5 nanometers square.

Kurzweil in, The Singularity (2005), represents a single celled organic nanobot as the nano assembler that can construct amino acid sequences with an attached nano computer that will have a wireless connection to a mainframe that it can receive its tasks from and store the modified DNA sequences. ‘Broadcast Architecture’ is a key design of nanobots, (Kurzweil, 2005 pp 176) as this is the way in which the mainframe computer with the global idea can upload the specific jobs to individual robots. There are currently different research fields for this with the most commonly accepted using a central computer that would hold the global design schedule, with a wireless connection to each nanobot being sent each task as it is required. This way we have total control of the entire process allowing changes to be made through out the project. There is also an extra layer of security that would prevent the nanobots from causing the ‘Grey-Goo’ problem of devouring/reconstructing the planet piece by piece uncontrollably. An animation created in 2005 by John Burch and Dr. Eric Drexler shows a visual representation of a desktop nano factory. This can be used to produce multiple components including computers with over a billion CPU’s, clothes, furniture and even cooked food, providing we have a structural logic on how it works, to use this

within architecture components can be constructed in a modular form or using larger assemblers. This focus is different to creating lots of separate machines as we always have total control of what can be produced and so the risks of loosing control of the production are minimized. This contained design is much more restrictive than an army of robots as buildings can be manufactured in a modular sense like a three-dimensional printer. I feel this approach is likely to be easier to accomplish because of the contained operating area, it will work like a normal micro form factory only using refined tools that can operate on a nano scale and will not require building an entire network of self sustaining robots. Although will not be as useful in extreme architectural projects because of the ‘desktop’ size limitations as well as the need assembling components together will become even more challenging with increased danger on site. Nanotechnology in architecture has a large variation of applications from the simple touching up of building exteriors by utilising specific materials to get new and exclusive finishes. Globalisation plays an important role in nanotechnology as single companies and research centres can only provide a certain amount of funding and intelligence to offer a high level of research. Therefore by utilising modern communication technology and our early establishment of globalisation multiple companies can share their intellect to further improve technologies. This way no one is wasting time in attempting to develop the same product, only to further improve other discoveries. Currently Nanotechnology is one of the most popular research fields for crowd sourced funding thanks to the global coverage. It is estimated that the total funding provided for nanotechnology research in 2005 was 3.8

Film Stills From Eric Drexlers NanoFactory Animation (2005)

billion Euros and that it has increased considerably since then (nano.org.uk, 2012). The main method for developing new nano technologies is to study how the living world operates and to find out any problems we find, that way we can use the mechanical world to find an answer. Another way is by studying the way nature works well and trying to replicate it mechanically. So for example self cleaning windows were developed from the nano scaled coating on the wings of certain tropical butterflies or certain high strength light weight materials have been developed from some creature shells (Super-Bodies, 2012).

_Conceptual Projects NanoTechnology

Using

One of the key movements that many architects see in the development of nanotechnology is that soon buildings will be able to ‘live’ in symbiotic harmony with nature and so they will both be relying on the products or sources of the other. This for example could relate to plants supplying oxygen or other plant specific matter that Nanobots (molecular assemblers) could use to construct a tower which in turn could create new surfaces for the plants to grow on or water streams to direct vital water to certain parts of the plants. John M Johansen is an Architect in America who studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard and has worked very closely with physicists to produce a proposal for a building or self-contained city that has been constructed in 8 days using only nano technologies. He suggests that buildings will soon have “phenomenal strength, lightness, integral structure, seamless continuity of surface, transparency, and in evolving, growing forms” (Johansen, 2002). His proposal relies on the ‘bottom-up’ approach to constructing a nanoarchitecture, by programming molecular assemblers to construct the structure at a sub atomic level using natural resources giving them the appearance of a fast and growing architecture. His designs are suggested to adjust instantaneously by manipulating the matter like it were a living organism according to the weather, light, temperature and humidity as well as the requirements of the people using the structure. He mainly focuses on a chapel that will be built at the highest point of the building. In an animation of this room he shows it off like a flower with the petals as a cover that will open with the

Carbon Tower Proposal 2002 prototype

rising sun and close as the sun sets. “From the outset, it should be understood that molecular-engineered buildings are still theoretical in nature. Though the projects that I have developed over the past decade are indeed based upon technologies that, before long, will be realized, the applications of molecular engineering, architectural included, remain speculative” (Johansen, 2011). Nano House is a global initiative funded by the European Commission. “Activities towards the development of appropriate solutions for the use, recycling and/or final treatment of nanotechnology-based products”, is the proposal put forward to allow companies the chance to challenge the improvement of housing by utilising the latest discoveries in Nano technologies. This process was started in January 2010 and set to run for 42 months making the finishing deadline June 2013. There are also similar projects happening around the world, for example Australia has an initiative including over 50 companies using nanotechnology within the building process. Technology has in the past been the trigger of new

architectures, from the Bauhaus movement with the merging of form and function to work by Peter Eisenman and Frank Ghery with their abstracted forms. These design changes have all been triggered from the improvements made in modelling and materiality to create new and exciting forms. Nano technology could be the next transformation in design, allowing us to push forms to a new level, with many cities becoming “transparent and flimsy”, (M. F. El-Sammy, 2008 pp 75) with large, identical corporate sky scrappers, a new design technology could re-introduce an identity and style in architectural designs. Nano techniques, as described by most of the architects and scientists described so far, allow us to generate custom designs. This will remove the need for companies to try and match the 21st century corporate image and instead allow everyone to focus on generating designs that match the image of the company or individual while still maintaining the efficiency and productivity of the site thanks to nano sensors and systems for adjusting all living conditions to best increase work rate. Nanostudio, is a project being worked on by George Elvin, he has conceptually designed generic buildings that utilise the full potential of carbon nanotubes, nanosensors and other nano materials. With the nanotubes having a strength of 100 times stronger than steel, the entire 5 story office block cantilevers out over the ground floor, maximising the space that can be utilized. The second main focus relies on nano-sensors embedded into the whole building including all the components and even the potential for them to be apart of the users. This will allow a generic design to be fully customised by changing interior colours, light levels, wall and ceiling opacity instantaneously according to the individual users (G. Elvin, 2012).

NanoStudio PRoject (George Elvin)

_Steps towards reality

Nano tubes are now being developed for use in the construction industry, recently nanotubes have been used as conveyor belts for moving small indium molecules around by applying a small electrical charge to them. “We’re not transporting atoms one at a time anymore — it’s more like a hose,” (Chris Regan) Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division. This provides an answer to being able to supply molecular assemblers with raw materials by using the main structure to supply these materials using only a small electrical charge. Nano Architecture risk, something that is often put after all the promises that nanotechnology promises. Are we hiding the potential risk in an attempt to speed up the development work and funding funneled into this area. Science fiction has always been the major competitor to expose the faults with nanotechnologies. The Day The Earth Stood Still, 2008. Film. Directed by Scott Derrickson is a recent critique exposing how nano robotics could work as a collective to consume all of our resources and living matter to regenerate new forms that are designed by the collective conscious of the robotics and therefore having no functionality or need for the constructions they are creating. Plus the additional factor that there are preconceptions that these robots will be able to self-replicate and build themselves using the bottom up construction techniques that are programed into them. Jane Macoubrie (2005) published a document explaining how the lack of information on nanotechnology affects the public opinion and perceptions. This makes it clear that although may governments are promoting the technology, it is not clear who is responsible for maintaining the safety and environmental conditions that could potentially be affected. It documents that in America only 17% of people had heard of nanotechnology. This is a major factor when it comes to public trust because people like to make informed choices about new

technologies, although the minimal coverage could slow the development of these products or even generate a negative affect. Further risks include our own health, nano-engineered particles are not found naturally in nature and so our bodies cannot distinguish from them if inhaled. Therefore some types depending on the program could adversely affect our health and if released into the atmosphere in large quantities could start attacking natural habitats, (M. El-Sammy, 2011). However similar risks were presented with the development of motor engines, power stations and even mobile phones and the necessity for these items have allowed us to develop safe ways to use these products. Therefore with the right promotions and studies into these side affects the benefits could far outweigh the risks.

Forests of nanotubes grown directly from graphene at Rice University are a hybrid material with a massive surface area

_Building a Nano-Architecture The way we design our cities is crafted by the methods we use to visually experience them. In person we can appreciate architecture and design from the colours we can see, to the wide viewing angle. But with fabrication at the nano level our eyes require magnification that is currently beyond the possibilities of glass optics. With the new process of ‘two-photon lithography’ which can print three dimensional models smaller than a single grain of sand, seeing our designed fabrications requires a scanning electron microscope. This builds an image by compiling the combination of x-rays and electrons emitted when electrons are fired at the material. This change in visual data can change our methods of design because of the limiting factors. The detector does not detect light and so consider how shadows are created? Depending on the angle of the detector and whether it picks up secondary electrons, backscattered electrons or x-rays we can build up a different version of the same object. Shadows look soft and more realistic in secondary electron images however they are created by areas that are not emitting anything towards the detector, like a dead pixel in an LCD panel array. This image has been simulated as a nano model that has been built in a ‘bottom up’ fashion by a two-photon lithography printer, it works in a similar way to a 3d printer but with an extremely high precision. It fires photons into a liquid resin, allowing it to harden, at this scale we can build this model in under 4 minutes. As the image is built up layer by layer it is impossible to create a perfect curve, it has a similar aesthetic of building an extravagant architecture only from bricks. Spiller Simulative nano scaled model.

The first architecture designed at a nano level as a testing playground towards a self designing system.

There are other methods of building nano models that are currently less developed but could prove to be more detailed and versatile. Carbon Nanotubes can be used to create models, these can show up very cleanly in an SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) they are also very strong because of the molecular bonds naturally USS Enterprise Built from a focused Ion formed. Another method that Beam at Himeji Institute of Technology has been successfully used at a microscopic level is a focused ion beam with phenathene gas by Takayuki Hoshino and Shinji Matsui of the Himeji Institute of Technology. This has been used to create an 8.8 micrometer model of the USS. Enterprise from the TV series Star Trek, which is 1-billionth of the actual size, this method is less precise but allows us to create slightly more fluid shapes as the form can melt layers together. The nano model has a unique level of detail because of the residue left on top of the model as well imperfections in the detector. How do we class the level of detail? In my simulation there is a much smaller level of detail shown compared to the hand drawing that was done by Neil Spiller, however the model is smaller than a single grain of sand and so smaller than the thinnest line that Neil put to paper. So if we are considering both the images at the same scale it is clear that the nano model can not replicate the detail put into the visual/ optical textures by pen and pencil that our creativity can create the illusion of certain materials, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as easy to create in the three dimensional nano scaled model because of the limited resolution compared to drawing a larger drawing with finer lines in detail. Multiple materials are also not so easy to combine at nano scales as they are to represent in a drawing like Neilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

How can this nano model contribute to architecture at the human scale? The ability to build a complex structure at this scale allows us to test designs with new aesthetics at this different scale which could be transferred to create interesting forms. We could also use this method to build up a customised texture on objects the size of a building. This can create entirely custom finishes that may not be easily visible to us in detail, but will show unique and continuously evolving/ reconstructing dimensions, shading, texture and tone across the span of a building.

Neil Spillerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Original Hand Drawing of an exploding baguette on a wheel barrow. This drawing shows a high amount of detail in the textures that are accented by the deep projected shadows.

In development from these static images the future of these could be the combination of nanotechnologies to create a living nano model that can change and improve continuously to self improve its design and purpose being crafted by computers and controlled by nano sensors. Producing a system that is continually working and offering new ideas and styles to construct from.

_Conclusion So how far has nanotechnology come? We have discovered that currently nanotechnology is already developed in certain coatings that we apply to walls, window and other components to increase the efficiency and purpose. However the architectural interaction with this world of technology is still highly limited in terms of progress. As well as the functionality, design is the other main component to architecture, this is the side that allows us to show creativity and individuality but is the nano globalization going to unify the design of everything even more? The methods we currently use to construct buildings is fundamentally different to nano-technological approaches. It promises to increase energy efficiency, performance and add the government requirement of sustainability. It has been described as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fusionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; technology (A. Hemeida, 2010), this means it incorporates many different areas of expertise within technology, this means that the general structure becomes very complex and is not hypothetically possible to be covered by only one of the technologies. However will the transitions over lose all of the knowledge and character that we have built up using current design methods, or will it coexist and work harmoniously? I believe it will be a long time before nanotechnology is fully incorporated into the design of a building, as currently we can replace standardized products like windows and insulation into any design, however until the structural elements and new construction methods have been developed and tested the advanced design possibilities cannot be realized. The largest advertised problem with molecular assemblers, that can construct a design on site or in a

Colourised Image of Halloysite Nano-tubes that are naturally occurring in the earth and are comprised from hydrogen, aluminium, silicon and oxygen. They can be used to strengthen materials. Image by Wired UK

contained location, was originally called the ‘grey goo’ problem by Eric Drexler. Having studied as many possible sources of this data I have compiled enough data to make some assumptions. For these ‘nanobots’ to evolve to start consuming our planet uncontrollably requires a certain level of artificial intelligence, which is theoretically impossible at this moment in time because of the processing power and coding within each of these bots. The largest problem with new technologies to date is the factor of human error either in programming or misuse. Computers cannot generate formulas to follow at the moment, they generally require human input to explain the process which it can then repeat for as long as it is programmed to. With most new inventions of this level of intellect, they could be reprogrammed by terrorist organizations to build weapons or even deconstruct targets. This would form a new nano-terrorism, this would mean that the organization I mentioned earlier should also have to explore these risks, deconstruction of most bonded molecules requires a substantial amount of energy to break each part down into a usable building material and so this risk of deconstruction is at current, minimal. With the vast amounts of information we have discovered with nanotechnology, should this be the main focus of study with mechanical or organic molecular assemblers. Ray Kurzweil covered the unison of both, the simplicity of an organic cell with an attached mechanical control, this will probably be the closest to creation although wont be as efficient as a fully mechanical constructor. As Kurzweil stated in The Singularity (205) mechanical beings have that advantage because of the increased efficency. At some point we will have the technology for molecular assemblers to construct entire buildings on site, using carbon nanotubes and constructing all the materials in

place. Will we still need architects? Computers are able to calculate more efficient ways of constructing something, however I do not feel they could design something from scratch with a single function put into the process. We are the ones who have to experience these architectures and as sensors cannot have emotions, it is our feelings about projects that help use to design and improve them. Therefore I don’t think it is possible for nanotechnologies to design something for human interaction without the human input. Again, without emotions I do not think nanotechnologies could design projects with any creativity they will follow functional design instead. This may spur an interesting design movement like modernism, but styles change and evolve. Or companies may prefer this aesthetic because it will mean maximum productivity for minimal cost and so that way our designs are being influenced by larger companies rather than personal interest. This could overcome Digital Regionalism, Progress in Nanotechnology (2008) taking away all local design interests, making globalization a unification of nano design as well as knowledge. Nano design will allow the customization of all materials instantaneously, so this could remove all Regionalism, or it could improve it, it will give us the ability to take a generic structure and grow out symbols that are traditional to the area, allowing us to match traditional colours and materials of the local area. To conclude, as architectural trends normally follow a few years after the technology is commercially available because of the extended testing and design process that has to be rigorously carried out, we have many years before it is influencing architectural design. When it does come the entire process used in design will be considerably changed allowing much more extreme designs to be formulated to overcome mass urban compression of increasing population density currently affecting cities as well as improving our efforts on sustainability.

Bibliography: − Akin, J 2004, ‘Nanotechnology: SIZE MATTERS’, PC Magazine, 23, 12, pp. 134-138, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 October 2012. − Armstrong, R 2010, ‘Systems Architecture: A New Model for Sustainability and the Built Environment using Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and Cognitive Science with Living Technology’, Artificial Life, 16, 1, pp. 73-87, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 15 October 2012. − Prince Arulraj, G, & Jemimah Carmichael, M 2011, ‘Effect of Nano-Flyash on Strength of Concrete’, International Journal Of Civil & Structural Engineering, 2, 2, pp. 475-482, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 October 2012. Good − Nic Clear, 2009. Architectures of the Near Future: Architectural Design. 1 Edition. Wiley. − The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008. [DVD] Scott Derrickson, United States: 20th Century Fox. − Kauffman, Douglas R., Chad M. Shade, Hyounsoo Uh, Stéphane Petoud, and Alexander Star. 2009. “Decorated carbon nanotubes with unique oxygen sensitivity.” Nature Chemistry 1, no. 6: 500-506.Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 24, 2012). − Mark Garcia, 2010. The Diagrams of Architecture: AD Reader. 1 Edition. Wiley. − Elvin, G 2007, ‘THE NANO REVOLUTION’, Architect, 96, 5, pp. 93-96, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 October 2012. − Hamidreza, S, & Mehdi, A 2011, ‘Nanotechnology in Construction of New Materials’, Australian Journal Of Basic & Applied Sciences, 5, 8, pp. 92-96, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 October 2012. Good/recent − Ray Kurzweil , 2006. Singularity Is Near. Edition. DUCKWORTH G. Be selective about what you read here. − G.I. Joe, 2009. [DVD] Stephen Sommers, United States: Paramount Pictures. − Neil Spiller, 2008. Visionary Architecture: Blueprints of the Modern Imagination. Edition. Thames & Hudson. − Spiller, N. and Armstrong, R. (2011). It’s a Brand New Morning. Protocell Architecture, 81, 14. − Neil Spiller and Rachel Armstrong, 2011. Protocell Architecture: Architectural Design (Architectural Design (Wiley)). 1 Edition. Wiley. Protocells are not necessarily nano-technology OR are they/could they be? − Spiller, N 2009, ‘Plectic architecture: towards a theory of the post-digital in architecture’, Technoetic Arts: A Journal Of Speculative Research, 7, 2, pp. 95104, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 October 2012. − Yeadon, P 2007, ‘NANOTECHNOLOGY: SMALL BUT MIGHTY’, Canadian Architect, 52, 11, pp. 65-67, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 19 October 2012. - ‘A REVIEW OF THE POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN REFRACTORY CONCRETE’ 2010, Journal Of Civil Engineering & Management, 16, 4, pp. 595-602, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 October 2012. -What is Nanotechnology? From Micro to Nano and New Applications - Institute of Nanotechnology. 2013. What is Nanotechnology? From Micro to Nano and New Applications -Institute of Nanotechnology. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nano.org.uk/whatis-nanotechnology. [Accessed 04 January 2013]. - Richard Hammond Miracles of Nature. (2012). Super-Bodies. [Online Video]. 06 December. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nvn2n. [Accessed: 06 December 2012]. -Egerton, R. F. (2005) Physical principles of electron microscopy : an introduction to TEM, SEM, and AEM. Springer, 202. -Macoubrie, J, 2005. Informed Public Perceptions of Nanotechnology and Trust in Government. The Pew Charitable Trusts, [Online]. 35, 5-15. Available at:http:// www.nanotechproject.org/process/assets/files/2709/8_informed_public_perceptions_ of_nanotechnology_and_trust_in_government.pdf[Accessed 16 January 2013].

Images: Cover: http://www.tuwien.ac.at/dle/pr/aktuelles/downloads/2012/3d_nanodrucker/ Nano Car: http://www.redorbit.com/media/gallery/national-science-foundation-gallery/pf3110_h.jpg Diamond Nano Tip: http://phys.org/news/2012-11-nanometer-scale-diamond-nano-manufacturing.html#jCp Zinc Oxide Crystals: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-un-joinable-polymer-linking-technology-based.html#jCp Barack Obama Carbon Nanotubes: www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/peering_into_the_micro_world.html Growing Carbon Nanotubes: phys.org/news/2012-11-james-bond-graphene-nanotube-hybrid.html#jCp NanoStudio Project: awbuente.iweb.bsu.edu/ Carbon Tower Project: testaweiser.com Neil Spiller Hand Drawing

“In thinking about nanotechnology today, what’s most important is understanding where it leads, what nanotechnology will look like after we reach the assembler breakthrough” (R. Feynmann, 1945)