architectural soft skin developed by team at IAAC in catalonia

architectural soft skin developed by team at IAAC in catalonia
all visuals courtesy of lubna alayeli, nina jotanovic, ceren temel, farah alayeli

‘soft skin’ is a research project developed by lubna alayeli, nina jotanovic, ceren temel, and farah alayeli from the institute for advanced architecture of catalonia. the work investigates the possibilities of using air inflation in architecture as an active response to changing environmental parameters. the ‘skin’ is composed of a specially developed composite made of thin layers of flexible silicone and elastic fabric.

cells

the material system consists of dozens of inflatable cells combined in larger groups. as parameters change — light and wind in this instance — the cells can inflate or deflate in real time. by acting in real time, it is able to reduce wind vibrations and wind drag, and control light infiltration.

‘soft skin’ prototype

material composition was highly considered in ‘soft skin’, and chosen elements have a direct impact on its behavior. a range of silicon types were tested, and later chosen for tensile strength and elongation-to-break capabilities. fabric was selected for similar qualities, as well as transparency. the result is a high-strength, inflatable ‘skin’ that has dozens of potential architectural potentialities. 

volume expansion diagram 

structure composition 

light infiltration through volume expansion

further development of prototype

possible applications

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom