The use of smart materials in architecture is a dynamic and innovative area merging research, development, and use. Smart materials, with their reversible characteristics, respond to stimuli such as light, temperature, and electrical field by changing their form, color, viscosity, etc. One of the most fascinating developments is the advent of Phase Change Materials. These materials make it possible, for example, to develop self-acting, kinetic facades and wallpaper that changes its color and pattern based on temperature and light. The book presents the development of these materials and also describes their use in the contexts of architecture, design, and art. It offers a systematic overview with a detailed discussion of properties, technologies, products, and projects based on twenty groups of smart materials.

Smart materials respond to stimuli such as light or temperature by changing their form, color viscosity etc. These materials make it possible, for example, to develop self-acting, kinetic facades and wallpaper that changes its color and pattern based on temperature and light. The book presents the functions and uses of about twenty groups of smart materials

In this book, architects, interior designers and designers will find an introduction to the functions and use of nano materials, specifically tailored to their needs and illustrated by numerous international project examples.

Today, architects and designers are beginning to look toward developments in new "smart" or "intelligent" materials and technologies for solutions to long-standing problems in building design. However, these new materials have so far been applied in a diverse but largely idiosyncratic nature, because relatively few architects have access to information about the types or properties of these new materials or technologies. Two of the leading experts in this field - Addington and Schodek - have solved this problem by incorporating all the relevant information of all the latest technologies available to architects and designers in this one volume. They present materials by describing their fundamental characteristics, and go on to identify and suggest how these same characteristics can be exploited by professionals to achieve their design goals. Here, the wealth of technical understanding already available in the materials science and engineering literature is at last made accessible to a design audience.

Designing interior spaces is a task that is equally relevant as architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design for those working professionally in the built environment. In this comprehensive work, an international and interdisciplinary team of authors presents the essential aspects of the various fields of contemporary interior architecture and design. The project examples are illustrated with brilliant photographs and plans. They have been selected according to consistent criteria for all chapters of the book and represent the essential building types, including exhibition stand design, as well as a broad range of today’s design approaches. The authors place the collaboration between the various design disciplines at the center of focus. The appendix contains information for further research. All in all, Designing Interior Architecture is a fundamental reference work for all those professionally engaged with the design.

Today, architects are looking for new solutions to old problems, including 'smart' and 'intelligent' materials that can be applied to building design. This text covers the use of smart materials in a design perspective, as well as describing how these solutions could be utilised in other applications.

Written from the viewpoint of the working designer, this textbook describes each material's characteristics and teaches students how to evaluate, select and specify materials.

Each element, or fundamental, uses theory and contemporary and historical references to illustrate the richness and diversity of design practice. The book contains five sections which together encapsulate the principle ideas, skills and knowledge that are employed in the creation of spatial solutions that support the needs of the client and which recognize the qualities of the building and its situation. Using illustrations and photographs these elements are identified and described in a way that makes them accessible to the reader.

Active Coatings for Smart Textiles presents the latest information on active materials and their application to textiles in the form of coatings and finishes for the purpose of improving performance and creating active functional effects. This important book provides detailed coverage of smart coating types, processes, and applications. After an introduction to the topic, Part One introduces various types of smart and active coatings, including memory polymer coatings, durable and self-cleaning coatings, and breathable coatings. Technologies and related processes for the application of coatings to textiles is the focus of Part Two, with chapters devoted to microencapsulation technology, plasma surface treatments, and nanotechnology-based treatments. The book ends with a section on applications of smart textiles with responsive coatings, which are increasingly finding commercial niches in sportswear, protective clothing, medical textiles, and architecture. - Introduces various types of smart and active coatings for textiles - Covers technologies and application processes for the coating and finishing of textiles - Reviews commercial applications of such coatings, including in sportswear, protective clothing, medical textiles and architecture

This book considers the potential of new, smart materials and their use in architecture. It begins with an overview of current global tendencies (technological, demographic, and socio-anthropological) and their relevance for architectural design. Expanding upon approaches for flexible design solutions to address change and uncertainty, Dr. Kretzer begins by exploring adaptive architecture and proceeds to introduce the topic of “information materials,” which encompasses smart and functional materials, their current usage, and their potential for the creation of future spaces. The second chapter provides a comprehensive overview of architectural materials, past and present, split into the topics: natural, industrial, synthetic, digital, and information materials. Chapter three introduces an educational approach for the mediation of information material usage in design courses and student workshops. The final section provides detailed information on a range of emerging material phenomena, including aerogels, bioluminescence, bio plastics, dye-sensitized solar cells, electroluminescent displays, electroactive polymers, soft robotics, and thermochromics. Each section explains its respective history, working principles, fabrication and (potential) usage in architecture and design, and provides hands-on tutorials on how to self-produce these materials, and displays class-tested experimental installations. The book concludes with an outlook into the domain of synthetic biology and the prospects of a “living” architecture. It is ideal for students of structural materials engineering, architecture, and urban planning; professionals working these in areas, as well as materials science/engineering and architecture educators.