ShapeShift

towards a soft architecture

ShapeShift is an experiment in future possibilities of architectural materialization. This project explores the potential application of electro-active polymer (EAP) at an architectural scale. EAP offers a new relationship to space built through its unique combination of qualities. It is an ultra-lightweight, flexible material with the ability to change shape without the need for mechanical actuators. As a collaboration between the chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design (ETHZ) and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), shape-shift bridges gaps between advanced techniques in architectural design / fabrication and material science as well as pushing academic research towards real world applications.

ShapeShift is the final thesis project of 2010 MAS students Edyta Augustynowicz, Sofia Georgakopoulou, Dino Rossi and Stefanie Sixt. The project was supervised by Manuel Kretzer