Category: In the News

Researchers at Harvard University have developed a new type of material that can change size, shape, volume, and stiffness. It can be folded flat, withstand thousands of pounds of weight, and pop back up to be reshaped into another form. The researchers believe the 3D material could be used to design portable buildings and to transform walls in those buildings into windows.

The research team was led by Professor Katia Bertoldi, Senior Research Scientist James Weaver, and Chuck Hoberman from the Graduate School of Design. The material is described in the journal Nature Communications.

The design of the material is inspired by snapology, an origami technique. It is made from extruded cubes that have 24 faces and 36 edges. A cube can be folded along its edges in order to change its shape.

The researchers demonstrated theoretically and with a centimeter-scale prototype that by folding certain edges that act like hinges, the shape of the cube can be changed. They embedded pneumatic actuators in the structure that can deform hinges to change the shape and size of the cube without any need for external input.

The researchers connected 64 cells to make a 4x4x4 cube. It was able to grow, shrink, change shape and orientation, and fold completely flat. Changing the shape of the structure also changes its stiffness. The material can be made pliable or very stiff with the same design. These changes in the material’s properties add a fourth dimension to the structure’s material. The material can be embedded with other types of actuators, such as thermal, dielectric, or water.

The researchers at Harvard believe the new material could have many practical applications. They think it could be used for portable shelters, adaptive building facades, and retractable roofs. The material can work at a variety of scales, from nanoscale to meter-scale. It can be used to make small objects, such as surgical stents, and large pop-up domes to shelter victims of natural disasters.

In 2015, climate change and the migrant crisis in several countries made the need for shelter more acute. It became necessary to provide homes for people in less time while minimizing environmental effects and costs.

Architects and planners are increasingly turning to shelters that can be built quickly, linked together, disassembled, and relocated. These types of designs make it easier to deal with a refugee crisis and the effects of climate change.

Suricatta, a Spanish architecture firm, introduced Shelter Units for Rapid Installation (SURI) in 2015 to help victims of earthquakes. These super-portable trailers have been used in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East to help displaced people. SURIs are more advanced than other modern homes and have water filtration systems. The walls can be filled with sand to weigh them down. They are breathable and thermally insulated to maintain a comfortable temperature. After a life cycle of 10 years, SURIs can be recycled, reused, or biodegraded.

ALPOD apartment pods are changing the concept of what a structure is and how people should live. The ALPOD is a stand-alone structure with a kitchen, living area, and bathroom. Units can be stacked to create an apartment building or set up individually. Production is scheduled to begin this year. An ALPOD will be able to be manufactured in four days and set up in less than a day.

ETH Zurich and MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab unveiled a new form of 3D printing at the Chicago Architecture Biennial in October. The process is called rock printing. A robotic arm loops and stacks thin string in layers. Buckets of rocks are poured between the layers to form a massive column that supports itself without scaffolding or beams. It is as durable as a traditional building but costs less and wastes less material than typical construction methods. Rock printing is intended to be used to create temporary architecture.

As climate change and conflicts displace more people, the need for temporary architecture is expected to continue. A permanent building may be seen as a liability in those circumstances, while a temporary structure can be seen as advantageous.

Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters is a nonprofit organization based in Washington State staffed by volunteers who help the homeless in their communities. Many of the volunteers who work for the organization used to be homeless themselves.

Jerad Nichols was inspired to create the shelters last year after he saw some stationary shelters. The group has created seven portable shelters so far. Nichols was homeless as a teenager.

The shelters are made from fiberglass and wood. They have windows and storage space inside and wheels to make them portable. The shelters cost about $350 each to construct. They are funded through donations made through a GoFundMe account. The group provides portable shelters to homeless people in Vancouver, Washington.

Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters hopes to expand in the near future. They would like to secure grants to help with fundraising efforts so they can purchase three to five acres of land on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. They would like to set up 20 mini homes on the property and create a workshop to employ people they help and build more shelters to help others who are currently homeless.

The group would also like to create a community room to teach people off-grid, minimalist survival techniques that they can use in their everyday lives. The volunteers would like to generate wind and solar power so that the community could be self-sufficient and productive.

Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters would like to expand its operations to include Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Alaska within five years. They hope that by that time every person on the Long Beach Peninsula who is currently homeless will have a home or portable shelter. The group would like to be helping people on a national scale in the next decade.