FILAMENTOSA: An ultra-light skyscraper for Chicago (RESEARCH)

In 1889, in the midst of industrial and social change, the Eiffel Tower was opened as a structure that completely revolutionized the building technologies of the day. It demonstrated in a very tangible way that very tall, lightweight, construction was feasible - this success was felt across across the globe.

Filamentosa (Chicago Illinois) is a new type of ultra-lightweight skyscraper that integrates responsive technologies into its structural frame and living skins to reduce the amount of material and energy required to live within, construct and maintain large scale structures. It results from a similar exploration of contemporary building technology. It is hoped that these explorations will lead to more sustainable building practices and the development of new urban forms that use less mass to greater effect.

Lightweight Actuated Structures Design Research

More than being a series of smart systems attached to a dumb building frame, responsive architectures actually consist of intelligent frames, skins and systems. These buildings change shape and color. They have intelligent systems within them and around them. They track the sun gradually and they adjust their shape to improve shading in the summer or day lighting in the winter. They shake snow from their roof. They even change shape to reduce wind loads or improve the way they ventilate. Unlike the conventional boxes that we live in, these buildings adapt to the natural environment to improve the way that people live. They address suitability and socio-technical issues in three key ways. Firstly they provide a means to reducing the mass and embedded energy used within buildings without sacrificing robustness. Secondly they enable architects to produce a new class of building envelopes that actively adjust and shape themselves in relation to the natural environment, its seasons and weather. With this they offer great potential in reducing the energy used within buildings.

Project Statistics:

1. Structural Technology: Actuated Tensegrity Structures (class 2 type) for Exoskeleton Building Structure are designed to control the overall building form and rigidity to enable mass to be removed from the building structure - saving embodied energy requirements and increasing robustness via structural health monitoring.

2. Skin Technology: Actuated Tensegrity Structures (class 3 type) for smaller building envelopes (pod-like forms) designed to change shape to reduce or increase their aerodynamic profile. The cladding systems are designed to change color.

Associated Images:

Full scale prototype (top) of actuated tensegrity structure (class 3 type) suitable for skin structures (image of structure only)

Working prototype (bottom) of actuated tensegrity structure (class 4 type) suitable for skin structures (working model)

Associated Films:

Work shown at the Architecture League of New York: Toward the Sentient City (Sept 17 - Nov 7 2009) Curated by Mark Shepard.

Press & Exhibitions:

AIANY Center for Architecture "MAKE IT WORK - Engineering Possibilities" (2009) The Center For Architecture, AIANY / Discovery Science Channel (2008) Weird Connections: Episode 10 / BBC World Service (2007) Culture Shock BBC / ABC Radio National (2007) By Design with Alan Saunders ABC / WIRED (2006) WIRED Article / The Economist (2006) ECONOMIST Article / CNN Future Summit (2006) CNN Interview / Zeit Wissen (2006) Zeit Wissen Interview / Except from ACADIA (2006) Shape Control Lecture via Video / ArchitectureWeek (2006) The Online Architecture Journal / Radio Adelaide 101.5 (2005) Radio Adelaide Interview

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