Envision

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Research





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Material Exploration

I started this studio unsure of what Innovative Architecture even meant. Nevertheless, as we researched what problem we would want to solve, and what we wanted our project to be, I became more enthusiastic about open innovation. By the time we began testing and innovating our methods of heating the memory alloy, I would look forward to coming in every day. From starting this project unsure of myself and wanted to leave to be genuinely enthusiastic about each day. As we learned through practice and repetition our testing techniques became more advanced. We started testing by using a homemade candle and screwing the wire into a wood block to hold it in place. eventually, we began using a lighter and ended our testing by passing an electrical current through the wire to more consistently and evenly heat the wire. By the end of open innovation, we had four designs for practical applications of memory alloy.

Often when designing buildings they are constructed with little thought on the effect it has on the environment. As smart materials are being used more frequently we decided to research, test, and eventually design new applications for smart materials. We started by doing thorough research into what materials would be best to study. We landed on three, carbon fiber, veneer wood, and memory alloy. Once the materials arrived we decided to focus our energy on the memory alloy and began to test it. With environmental issues on the rise constant innovation is an absolute necessity, and smart materials could be a viable alternative to certain machinery as it requires no power, or human interference to work. Hopefully, as these materials are tested and researched further they will be able to find their way into the world of architecture.