PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading

Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading
2025-01-14
(Press-News.org) Pine cones as a model: Researchers at the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg have developed a new, energy-autonomous facade system that adapts passively to the weather. The journal Nature Communications has published the research results.

"Most attempts at weather responsiveness in architectural facades rely heavily on elaborate technical devices. Our research explores how we can harness the responsiveness of the material itself through advanced computational design and additive manufacturing," says Professor Achim Menges, head of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC) at the University of Stuttgart. "We are achieving a shading system that opens and closes autonomously in response to changes in the weather, without the need for operational energy or any mechatronic elements. The bio-material structure itself is the machine."

Using bioinspired design, natural materials, and widely accessible technologies, researchers at the universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg have developed the "Solar Gate" facade system – the first weather-responsive, adaptive shading system that operates without electrical energy. The scientists used the movement mechanisms of pine cones as a model for the "Solar Gate", which opens and closes in response to changes in humidity and temperature without consuming any metabolic energy. The team succeeded in replicating the anisotropic (direction-dependent) structure of cellulose in plant tissues using standard 3D-printers. The research results have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Biobased hygromorphic materials and bioinspired 4D-printing Cellulose is a natural, abundant, and renewable material that swells and shrinks with variations in humidity. This property, known as hygromorphism, is frequently observed in nature, for example in the opening and closing of the scales of pine cones or the inflorescences of the silver thistle. The research team leveraged this hygromorphic property by custom-engineering biobased cellulose fibers and 4D-printing them into a bilayered structure inspired by the scales of the pine cone.

Material systems produced by this additive manufacturing technique called 4D-printing can autonomously change their shape in response to external stimuli. For the "Solar Gate," the researchers developed a computational fabrication method to control the extrusion of cellulosic materials using a standard 3D-printer, making it possible to harness the self-shaping and reversible behavior of the 4D-printed material system. In high humidity, the cellulosic materials absorb moisture and expand, causing the printed elements to curl and open. Conversely, in low humidity, the cellulosic materials release moisture and contract, causing the printed elements to flatten and close.

“Inspired by the hygroscopic movements of the scales of pine cones and the bracts of silver thistle, Solar Gate has succeeded in translating not only the high functionality and robustness of biological models into a bioinspired shading system but also the aesthetics of plant movements. This can be seen as the ‘royal road of bionics’, as everything that fascinates us about the biological concept generators has also been realized in the bio-inspired architectural product,” says Professor Thomas Speck, head of the Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg and spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS) at the University of Freiburg.

Architectural integration of self-shaping elements The research team tested the functionality and durability of the bioinspired adaptive shading system under real weather conditions for over a year. The "Solar Gate" was then installed on the livMatS Biomimetic Shell, a building demonstrator of the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC and the Cluster of Excellence livMatS, which serves as a research building of the University of Freiburg. The shading system has been installed on its south-facing skylight, which assists in the indoor climate regulation of the building. During winter, the 4D-printed shading elements open to allow sunlight in for natural heating. In summer, they close to minimize solar radiation. Powered solely by daily and seasonal weather cycles, this adaptive process operates without any electrical energy supply.

The "Solar Gate" thus represents an energy-autonomous and resource-efficient alternative to conventional shading systems. As buildings account for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions due to the typically high energy needed to maintain indoor comfort, reducing the energy required for heating, cooling and ventilation is of high importance. The "Solar Gate" highlights the potential of accessible, cost-effective technologies such as additive manufacturing and shows how cellulose, as an abundant, renewable material, can contribute to sustainable architectural solutions.

Project partners
The “Solar Gate” has been collaboratively developed by the Institute of Computational Design and Construction (ICD), Institute for Plastics Technology (IKT), and the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC) at the University of Stuttgart, together with the Plant Biomechanics Group, Department for Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), and the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems (livMatS) at the University of Freiburg.

Publication
Cheng, T., Tahouni, Y., Sahin, E.S., Ulrich, K., Lajewski, S., Bonten, C., Wood, D., Rühe, J., Speck, T., Menges, A.: 2024, Weather-responsive adaptive shading through biobased and bioinspired hygromorphic 4D-printing. Nature Communications, vol. 15, no. 1. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54808-8)

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading 2 Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers uncover what drives aggressive bone cancer

Researchers uncover what drives aggressive bone cancer
2025-01-14
Researchers uncover what drives aggressive bone cancer Large-scale analysis of patient cohorts reveals a novel mechanism driving osteosarcoma, an aggressive paediatric bone cancer. The researchers show that this mechanism occurs in approximately 50% of high-grade osteosarcoma cases. This research also provides insights to help predict osteosarcoma patient outcomes which can help improve the management of this disease. Osteosarcoma is a type of aggressive bone cancer that most commonly affects children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 20, during times ...

Just as Gouda: Improving the quality of cheese alternatives

Just as Gouda: Improving the quality of cheese alternatives
2025-01-14
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2025 – Plant-based dairy products are a great alternative for people who avoid animal products, but manufacturers have a hard time replicating the creamy, cheesy qualities that make dairy so indulgent. Scientists from the University of Guelph in Ontario and Canadian Light Source Inc. in Saskatchewan are working to produce plant-based cheese with all the characteristics of real cheese, but with better health benefits. In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, researchers studied multiple types of plant-based proteins and how they interact with ...

Digital meditation to target employee stress

2025-01-14
About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that a brief, digital mindfulness-based program is an easily accessible and scalable method for reducing perceptions of stress. Future work should seek to clarify mechanisms by which such interventions contribute to improvements in work-specific well-being.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Aric A. Prather, PhD, email aric.prather@ucsf.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54435) Editor’s Note: Please see ...

Electronic patient-reported outcome system implementation in outpatient cardiovascular care

2025-01-14
About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, implementation of the electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) monitoring system significantly enhanced patient-physician communication and the clarity of physicians’ explanations about treatment. These findings suggest that the ePRO monitoring system is capable of supporting patient-centered cardiovascular care.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Yoshinori Katsumata, MD, PhD, email goodcentury21@keio.jp. To ...

Knowledge and use of menthol-mimicking cigarettes among adults in the US

2025-01-14
About The Study: In this survey study of U.S. adults, a substantial proportion were aware of and had already experimented with synthetic cooling agent menthol-mimicking cigarettes. These products may serve as a substitute for menthol cigarettes and reduce the public health benefits of a menthol cigarette ban in promoting smoking cessation.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kelvin Choi, PhD, email kelvin.choi@nih.gov. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54608) Editor’s ...

Uncurling a single DNA molecule and gluing it down helps sharpen images

Uncurling a single DNA molecule and gluing it down helps sharpen images
2025-01-14
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2025 – Most microscopes can only illuminate objects down to a certain size before tiny features blur together. This blurring is known as the diffraction limit of light. Super-resolution imaging techniques, however, can distinguish between tiny biomolecular features, especially when thermal fluctuations are minimized. Using advanced imaging techniques and precise microfluidics control to stretch out curly DNA into a straight line, research published this week in AIP Advances, from AIP Publishing, demonstrates ...

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries did not receive more dental, vision or hearing care

2025-01-14
As the privatized form of Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans advertise dental, vision, and hearing benefits not covered by traditional Medicare, but a recent analysis found that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries do not typically receive more of these supplemental services than traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, out-of-pocket spending was similar for most supplemental services. The research led by a team from Mass General Brigham is published in JAMA Network Open.   “Medicare Advantage plans receive more money per beneficiary than traditional Medicare plans, but our findings add to the evidence that this increased cost is not justified,” said first author Christopher ...

Green hydrogen: Big gaps between ambition and implementation

2025-01-14
"Over the past three years, global project announcements for green hydrogen have almost tripled," says PIK researcher and lead author Adrian Odenweller. "However, only seven percent of the production capacity originally announced for 2023 has been completed on time during this period." According to the study, the recent problems with the market ramp-up of green hydrogen can be attributed to increased costs, a lack of willingness to pay on the demand side and uncertainties about future subsidies and regulation. "Enormous additional subsidies of around one trillion US dollars would be required to realise all announced hydrogen projects by 2030," explains Falko ...

Global study pinpoints genes for depression across ethnicities

2025-01-14
New genetic risk factors for depression have been identified across all major global populations for the first time, allowing scientists to predict risk of depression regardless of ethnicity. The world’s largest and most diverse genetic study ever into major depression has revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links to the condition, experts say. 100 of the newly discovered genetic variations – small differences in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene – were identified due to the inclusion of people of African, East Asian, Hispanic and South Asian descent, the study found. Previous research into the genetics ...

Epigenetics ensures placenta functioning

2025-01-14
If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible. The researchers also observed a connection with a deficiency of this “methyltransferase” in a well-known pregnancy complication. In all female mammals, including humans, the growing fetus in the uterus is supplied via the placenta. Through this temporary ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug

Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines

Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy

Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering

[Press-News.org] Bioinspired weather-responsive adaptive shading