Bacterial Hygromorphs: Experiments into the Integration of Soft Technologies into Building Skins

Ramirez-Figueroa, Carolina; Hernán, Luis; Guyet, Aurélie; Dade‐Robertson, Martyn

doi:10.52842/conf.acadia.2016.244

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

(7 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Hygromorphs are moisture sensitive materials which change their morphology, passively, in response to changes in environmental humidity (Park and Chen 2020) and can be said to 'compute' as their configuration (output) changes in response to external inputs (relative humidity (RH) or wetting) (Ramirez-Figueroa et al 2016). The use of hygromorphs within 'Responsive Architecture' is not a new concept, and the natural adaptive properties of wood has been used for centuries to control ventilation in response to RH without any energy input (Larsen and Marstein 2000, Reichert et al 2014, El-Dabaa and Abdelmohsen 2023.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological, physical and morphological factors for the programming of a novel microbial hygromorphic material

Birch,

Bridgens,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Bioinspir. Biomim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The urgency for energy efficient, responsive architectures has propelled smart material development to the forefront of scientific and architectural research. This paper explores biological, physical, and morphological factors influencing the programming of a novel microbial-based smart hybrid material which is responsive to changes in environmental humidity. Hygromorphs respond passively, without energy input, by expanding in high humidity and contracting in low humidity. Bacillus subtilis develops environmentally robust, hygromorphic spores which may be harnessed within a bilayer to generate a deflection response with potential for programmability. The bacterial spore-based hygromorph biocomposites (HBCs) were developed and aggregated to enable them to open and close apertures and demonstrate programmable responses to changes in environmental humidity. This study spans many fields including microbiology, materials science, design, fabrication and architectural technology, working at multiple scales from single cells to ‘bench-top’ prototype.Exploration of biological factors at cellular and ultracellular levels enabled optimisation of growth and sporulation conditions to biologically preprogramme optimum spore hygromorphic response and yield. Material explorations revealed physical factors influencing biomechanics, preprograming shape and response complexity through fabrication and inert substrate interactions, to produce a palette of HBCs. Morphological aggregation was designed to harness and scale-up the HBC palette into programmable humidity responsive aperture openings. This culminated in pilot performance testing of a humidity-responsive ventilation panel fabricated with aggregated Bacillus HBCs as a bench-top prototype and suggests potential for this novel biotechnology to be further developed.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological, physical and morphological factors for the programming of a novel microbial hygromorphic material

Birch,

Bridgens,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Bioinspir. Biomim.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Moisture absorption measurement and modelling of a cellulose acetate

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With a view toward the application of highly hygroscopic polymers as a humidity responsive self-actuator, the evaluation of the real time moisture concentration in the material becomes a priority. In this paper, the moisture diffusion process in a cellulose acetate (53.3% of acetylation) has been studied. Membranes of cellulose acetate (thickness within the range 66–200 µm) have been prepared, and the moisture absorption at room temperature and at a different relative humidity (RH within the range 21–53%) has been monitored. An analytical model has been used to describe the observed non-Fickian sigmoidal behavior of moisture diffusion. A relaxation factor (β) of about 0.026 s−1 and a moisture diffusion coefficient (D) of 3.35 × 10–6 mm2/s have been determined. At constant room temperature, the moisture concentration at saturation (Csat) has shown a linear relation with relative humidity. The identified values β, D and Csat of the analytical model have been used as input for the finite element simulation of the non-Fickian diffusion. The reliability of the finite element simulations has been confirmed with a second set of experiments.

show abstract

A critical review of the developments in building adaptability

Heidrich

Kamara

Maltese

et al. 2017

IJBPA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper provides a critical review of developments in the adaptability of buildings. Its purpose is to determine the current ‘state-of-the-art’, describe current thinking and trends in research and practice, and identify issues and gaps that further research can address. It provides a basis for a scientific and practical understanding of the interdependencies across different design criterion. The paper increases the awareness of architects, engineers, clients and users on the importance of adaptability and its role in lowering impacts over the lifecycle of buildings as part of the infrastructure system.\ud This paper draws mainly from the literature as its source of evidence. These were identified from established databases and search engines (e.g. Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar) using key words such as adaptability, adaptable, adaptation, and flexibility. Over 80 sources including books, journal papers, conference proceedings, research reports and doctoral theses covering the period 1990 to 2017 were reviewed and categorised. An inductive approach was used to critically review and categorise these publications and develop a framework for analysis.\ud The concept of adaptability includes many dimensions which can broadly fall into two categories: changes to buildings and user adaptations to buildings. However, previous research has mostly focused on the former, with many attempts to identify building attributes that facilitate adaptability, and some considerations for its assessment. Key areas that have not been adequately addressed and which require further research include: user/occupant adaptations, cost, benefits and implications of various adaptability measures, and the development of a standardised assessment methodology that could aid in decision making in the design stage of buildings.\ud The adaptability strategies considered in this review focused mainly on building components and systems, and did not include the contribution of intelligent and smart/biological systems. The coverage is further limited in scope due to the period considered (1990-2017) and the exclusion of terms such as “retrofit” and “refurbishment” from the review. However, the findings provide a solid basis for further research in the areas identified above. It identifies research issues and gaps in knowledge between the defined needs and current state-of-the-art on adaptive building for both research and practice.\ud This paper is a review of research into a highly topical subject, given the acknowledged need to adapt buildings over their lifecycle to environmental, economic or social changes. It provides further insights on the dimensions of adaptability and identifies areas for further research that will contribute to the development of robust tools for the assessment of building adaptability, which will enhance the decision-making process of building design and the development of a more sustainable built environment

show abstract

Bacterial Hygromorphs: Experiments into the Integration of Soft Technologies into Building Skins

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

Biological, physical and morphological factors for the programming of a novel microbial hygromorphic material

Biological, physical and morphological factors for the programming of a novel microbial hygromorphic material

Moisture absorption measurement and modelling of a cellulose acetate

A critical review of the developments in building adaptability

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About