Sunday, 12 August 2012

Re-Skinning of Buildings (UTS Tower)

Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck founded the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture [LAVA] in 2007. It was established as a network of creative minds with a research and design focus and has offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Stuttgart and Abu Dhabi.


LAVA explores frontiers that merge future technologies with the patterns of organisation found in nature and believes this will result in a smarter, friendlier, more socially and environmentally responsible future.
LAVA developed a simple, cost effective and easily constructed building skin that can potentially transform the identity, sustainability and interior comfort of any existing structure of the UTS Tower in Sydney. The ‘skin’ is a translucent cocoon that can create its own’ microclimate’. It can generate its own energy with photovoltaic cells, could collect rainwater, improve the distribution of natural daylight and use available convective energy to power the building’s ventilation requirements.


A pre-existing building is wrapped with three-dimensional lightweight, high performance composite mesh textile. Surface tension allows the membrane to freely stretch over a light steel frame around walls and roof elements achieving maximum visual impact with minimal material effort.
The skin with embedded LED strips acts as an intelligent media surface effectively integrating principles of architecture, fashion, media and communication design into a new hybrid typology.
This innovative and creative take on recreating allows minimal cost and transform the building. It is easily constructed, quick and sustainable. 







The UTS Tower, Sydney


Re-skinned UTS Tower, Sydney

This proposal did not proceed, however, the idea has potential on re-shaping buildings around the world with minimal cost. Technology has not yet reached its prime to create the best material suited for the wear and tear of the outdoor. 


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