WATER REACTION
Architecture, Art and Design sometimes take inspiration from nature to solve problems. For example, a pinecone has the ability to open and close its surface as a reaction to the water, in order to release and protect its seeds.
Chao Chen, student at the Royal College of Arts London, realized Water Reaction, a material study into pinecone’s bio-mimicry science that has inspired him to create a laminate water-reacting material. It detects humidity and changes its shape automatically without mechanical structures or electrical elements. It has also been applied to different products: a water indicator for plants, an architectural surface which changes its colour in the rain, a shelter which automatically closes to prevent the rain. Using a mechanism analogous to the water reaction from the pinecone, these products utilize a natural way to face the water and solve problems, illustrating nature’s engineering with functionalism and aesthetics.
All Rights Reserved to Chao Chen