(Photos, Top: Brandon Shigeta, Left: Brandon Shigeta, Right, DO|SU Studio Architecture)
Above: “Bloom,” an architectural project designed by Doris Kim Sung and made from thermo-bimetals, smart materials that respond dynamically to temperature change. The installation is 20 feet tall and made with 14,000 completely unique pieces of thermo-bimetal. This metal is dynamic and responsive, curling as air temperatures rise, resulting in a beautiful sculpture that breathes. “Bloom” was exhibited in Silver Lake, Los Angeles in November 2011.
Having studied biology at Princeton University intending to go to medical school, Sung explores architecture as an extension of the body, challenging the notion that buildings ought to be static and climate-controlled. Rather, they should be able to adapt to their environment through self-ventilation.
Below: Her talk from TEDxUSC, “Metal that breathes”:
