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Stand back "automatic door" of the 20th century, our architecture as well as our technology is growing more advanced and sophisticated every day. In a new book titled Make Alive: Prototypes for Responsive Architectures the authors discuss the state-of-the-art in design trend where artists, engineers, scientists, and architects are coming together to create built enviroments that think and respond to everything from climate to human behaviour. The book talks about an eventual shift in architecture which now is almost purely mechanical and building upon that to bring it to something more akin to biological. The idea that built form can respond intelligently to external stimuli is a growing trend and the book goes into great detail on exisiting prototypes for these futuristic and sentient design principles.
The authors from The University of Toronto, MIT and The University of Hong Kong have assembled extensive research for this book in the area of ambient intelligence, focusing on Immersive Spaces, Hybrid Living Systems, Responsive Cladding, Surface as Interface, Augmented Building Technologies, and Individuated Experience.
As we continue to see a paradigm shift in not only how are cities are reshaping themsleves in an increasingly post suburban world and on a planet with more and more unpredictable weather, it is these hybrid technologies that will certainly play a big part in shaping our future. The book launch is being held on March 21st from 6-8 PM at RAD, 80 Bloor Street West, Suite C-1. RAD stands for Responsive Architecture at Daniels and is one of the first university-based research labs dedicated to the digital enhancement of buildings, cities, and landscapes.
