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Thün, Velikov and Junghans present at the 2014 European Energy Forum

Thün, Velikov and Junghans present recent research work at the 2014 European Energy Forum for Advanced Building Skins in Bressanone IT

Associate Professor Geoffrey Thün, Assistant Professor Kathy Velikov and Assistant Professor Lars Junghans recently presented a paper on research entitled “Pneusystems: Prototypes for biologically inspired air-based envelope systems” as part of the EU Forum on Advanced Building Skins International Conference in Bressanone Italy.

Thün & Velikov: Pneusystems

PneuSystems is a prototype-based exploration of the performative, formal and aesthetic potentials for cellular pneumatic membrane-based assemblies towards deep, lightweight architectural skins imbued with environmental response, interaction and intelligence. The work is situated within the history and technology of pneumatic structures, the application of biological paradigms towards architectural innovation, performative geometries and the register and exchange of matter, energy and information. This research is pursued through a methodology that entails the study of specific principles from biological examples of pneus to inform the prototype-based development of physical analog models at an architectural scale. Parallel, feedback-based research is described and includes combinatory approaches for computational simulation, thermal modeling of pneumatic structures, physical prototyping techniques, and pneumatic control systems. Novel approaches to the simulation and rationalization of multi cellular pneumatic systems for variable thermal insulation and delivery have been developed in close consultation with Dr. Lars Junghans through pioneering techniques to account for localized stratification, internal and adjacent cell turbulence are also introduced in this particular presentation. The paper is co-authored with RVTR Research Associate Mary O’Malley (M.Arch.’10)

PneuSystems has been developed with seed funding support through a 2013 Taubman College Research Through Making Grant, a 2014 Small Projects Grant from the University of Michigan Office of Research, and the 2014 Upjohn Research Initiative from the Board Knowledge Society of the American Association of Architects.

For further information on this international meeting, see: http://www.energy-forum.com/