Essay

What if you could bring entirely new sensations within the spaces that you build, to better meet the needs of both your client and building occupants? Just imagine a museum with white light that seems whiter than white that also seems to be emitting from nowhere. Or, what about hearing changes in temperature?

Well, both of these examples are becoming a reality due to progress involving nanomaterials. (You can read about how the two previous examples work in the article published here.)

New design possibilities are expanding and there will be new ways to add to the integrity of your architectural masterpieces. It seems only fitting that we, as architects, use such nanomaterials to enhance not only the function of our buildings, but to make them even more uniquely beautiful for the 21st century.

Will Unexpected Architectural Sensations Be A Good Thing?

By mixing up what your occupants expect or rely upon building materials and assemblies to do, your architecture will gain an entire new array of functions and behaviors with which to uplift the way your occupants live, work and play. Often, architectural spaces today feel so static as occupants struggle daily to adapt themselves to a building. Shouldn’t it also be the other way around?

The flexibility and new behaviors that nanomaterials bring will add new variety and more choices which you, as an architect, must contend with. The key is to know how to use them — to be able to create state-of-the-art spaces that go beyond mere occupant distraction and annoying agitation to really elevate human lifestyle in a humane manner.

I challenge you to design for a symbiotic relationship between your architecture and your occupants. I think if you, as an architect, can get this relationship right while integrating new technologies and materials with the traditional qualities you hold dear, there will open up a plethora of new options for you to find those functional, beautiful and meaningful architectural moments.

Image Caption: Nanoparticles with different thicknesses and light effects.

Image Credit: © Argonne National Laboratory | Flickr