Responsive Kinetics

Abstract

This thesis explores a kinetic facade solution. One capable of not only being an intelligent environmental mitigator, but also has the ability to ascribe information as a media facade. Although facades are typically considered to be one or the other typology, this thesis proposes a hybrid solution. To be a hybrid a facade simultaneously preforms, or behaves, environmentally and ascribes media onto its surface. William Zuk (1970) stated that the role of kinetics in architecture is to:

“unfreeze […], to make it a fluid, vibrating, changeable backdrop for the varied and constantly changing modes of life. An expanding, contracting, pulsating, changing architecture.” (p.3)

There is increasing interest in architectural discourse centred around intelligent architectural environmental control. Specifically the ability for architecture to collect environmental and user requirements data, to predict future actions. This research proposes that the facade of a building is the critical junction for this data collection. Arguably it is where the building has a direct and tangible relationship, and influence, with both the environment and the user. It is here that this research proposes that kinetic movement can have the greatest effect as a hybrid.