Kinetic Architecture: Dynamic Buildings That Will Move You

"The speed of change makes you wonder what will become of architecture." - Tadao Ando

Modern buildings are challenging the conventional system and transforming from static to kinetic through the parameters of smart inert materials, mechanical actuators, building skins, and active envelopes.

Join us as we highlight four of the most innovative kinetic structures that change before your eyes.

One Ocean, South Korea

Emerging as the frontrunner of an open international design competition in 2009, One Ocean is the collaborative product of the Austrian architectural office of soma and the innovative Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering. Morphing biology with architecture, the undulating wavy lines of the kinetic facade resembles The Living Ocean and Coast at Yeosu, South Korea. The natural translation of sustainability and biomimicry into the architectural project is not integrated on a visual medium, but deeply incorporated into the facade through the use of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP).

Q1 Headquarters, Germany

With 400,000 stainless steel lamella sunshades attached to the Q1 Headquarter's glazing system, direct solar heat radiation and glare is reduced, thereby producing maximum efficiency of view and heat gain prevention. As it rises 50 meters from the focal point of the campus, Q1 Headquarters is not only a signature landmark with its diverse trapezoidal and triangular louver system. Awarded by BDA Essen and LEAF Awards, the shell-core principled building designed by JSWD Architekten and Chaix & Morel et Associes gained recognition due to its tiered L-shaped building elements around a central space.

Sharifi-Ha House, Iran

Faced with the challenge of a lot deeper than its frontage, dRMM retorts an unconventional response by transforming a rigid two-dimensional facade into a flexible three-dimensional form. Comprising of four main parts "" the structure's fixed volume, the void, the fixed volume and the mobile volume "" Sharifi-Ha House is an exciting typology of a dynamic inside-outside form, as it caters functionally to the climatic conditions and its users' needs. Calculating the highest possible loading value, the turning mechanism of the boxes proved to be a major consideration in determining its irregular structural system.

SDU Campus Kolding, Denmark

Completed in 2014 by Henning Larsen Architects, the Denmark-based SDU Campus Kolding exemplifies a triangular-shaped building form with a five-leveled atrium on its core. In response to the varying climate conditions, the dynamic solar shading system of the facade is equipped with sensors to monitor heat and light levels. To regulate accordingly, the 1,600 triangular perforated steel fins are mechanically controlled by a motor to optimize daylight and indoor climate of the building. The monochromatic color scheme of the closed kinetic facade is juxtaposed by the vibrant expression of colors when the fins are open.

Arab World Institute, France

When Jean Nouvel's forte of exquisite attention to detail is mixed with the works of Architecture-Studio and Enrique Jan, the result is an impeccable cultural expression of Arab and France. One of the 20th century's classic architecture buildings, the 1987 Arab World Institute utilizes natural light as its principal design catalyst, with the integration of a photo-sensitive facade. A fusion of aesthetical, functional and environmental consideration, the radical metallic brise soleil opens and closes like a camera's aperture. Noted for its exceptional representation of Arab culture, the archetypal mashrabiyya facade, which is also exemplified by Aedas Architects' Al Bahar Towers, reinforced the different geometric patterns produced in the ocular devices.

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