Essay

Building skin has the power to hide and protect while also serving to display and reveal. And in particular, building skin that is transient takes on the ability to do all of these things. For example, the Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen maintains a skin that uses screens which change their display dependent upon time of day and seasons. Such a versatile building skin makes for a building that is more adaptive — able to brighten dark days, and able to further “broadcast” inner productions.

Building skin must often accomplish so much, from energy efficiency to aesthetic appeal. And there is more that can be done. For instance, what happens when a building skin can appear and disappear in time? Suddenly, the interior becomes public as the building skin makes itself invisible. The building becomes chameleon-like, able to transform itself to changing exterior or interior conditions.

But what may be best is for a building skin to respond to people. Perhaps based on what goes on in its neighboring exterior or in-use interior. What if a building skin could change according to occupant activity within? Or what if it could change according to the social activities occurring within its outdoor adjacent plaza? Building skin can use triggers put forth by the way people engage with the spaces which it divides or unites. After all, skin can be a boundary which breathes.

All in all, don’t forget that a building skin provides you with great opportunity — to communicate a message, to invite people in, to light up a community, or to protect that which goes on inside. So, as you design, think of all of the functions which your building skin should provide, including its aesthetic appeal. Your building design will be stronger, make a bigger positive difference for occupants, and will likely stand as a more unique work of architecture.

‍Image Credit: © seier+seier | Flickr