Beyond smartphones, the current gold standard in communications, there are smart home security systems and smart lighting systems that have introduced the idea of networked technology as an integral part of design and architecture. One company that has beenleading the way in this area is the German company BigRep, producers of the large-scale BigRep ONE 3D printer. Their innovation department, NOWLab, has been working on creating smart concrete with an adaptive surface enabled by embedded capacitive sensors. This translates to concrete with capabilities that are activated by the touch of a hand.
In the case of NOWLab’s efforts, this comes in the form of a wall panel with integrated lights that can be controlled by touching the surface of the concrete at any point. Concrete was one of the greatest innovations in the history of architecture; however, because of its ease of use, it has resulted in some of the least thoughtful building that has ever been undertaken. Its reputation has been tarnished by years of mindless application; a sort of dump and dash philosophy of building. The argument being made by the team at NOWLab is that through the utilization of advanced technologies such as 3D printing the forming of concrete can once again become a point of pride for the master builder, and the integration of sensorial capabilities can elevate the material beyond mere presence in a space to an active element in the formation of spatial experience.
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[Source/Images: Designboom]