An interdisciplinary team of architects, structural engineers and mechanical engineers working on the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1244 at the University of Stuttgart has been investigating the architectural potential of adaptive skins and structures (Detail 9.2022, page 22). As a result of the first four years of research, a 36.5 m high adaptive experimental tower, D1244, was completed in 2021: here 24 hydraulic actuators have been integrated into the steel structure so that the building can react autonomously to external loads such as strong winds or earthquakes. The researchers are currently looking into various adaptive facade systems for influencing cooling capacity and thermal transmittance by actively regulating the amount of daylight and solar radiation entering the building.
© Sven Cichowiczen