Responsive building information network
Living City is a platform for buildings to talk to one another. It involves small modules that attach to existing building facades, collect sensor data, ..transmit it to other buildings, compare local and remote information, and change facade porosity or display as a result.
The first example allows buildings to share information about air quality. In this prototype, the system monitors local indoor and outdoor contaminant levels, compares them to levels at nearby and remote buildings, and opens or closes gills in the facade to adjust air flow and offer a visual display of environmental conditions. The platform is open-ended, and other sensors or actuators can be swapped in, allowing buildings to exchange a wealth of information that they are already collecting.
Developed by David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang, the Living City system represents an important step in the evolution of responsive buildings. Currently, even the most sophisticated buildings only connect local input with local output. Using Living City, buildings can expand to connect local and remote input with local and remote output. The building facade becomes a location of data sensing, communication, and responsive performance and display—imbuing the city with a new layer of interactivity.
Contact: The Living, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
For more information, see Transmaterial 3: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine our Physical Environment
