首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
What if architects could build living systems rather than static buildings — dynamic structures that modify their internal and e
What if architects could build living systems rather than static buildings — dynamic structures that modify their internal and e
admin
2012-06-02
56
问题
What if architects could build living systems rather than static buildings — dynamic structures that modify their internal and external forms in response to changes in their environment? This provocative idea is making waves in the field of architecture. Houses, for example, might shrink in the winter to reduce surface area and volume, thus cutting heating costs. They could cover themselves to escape the heat of the summer sun or shake snow off the roof in winter. Skyscrapers could alter their aerodynamic profiles, swaying slightly to distribute increased loads during hurricanes.
Such " responsive architecture" would depend on two sorts of technology: control systems capable of deciding what to do, and structural components able to change the building’s shape as required. Architects have been working to improve the control systems in buildings for many years, but shapeshifting technology is at a much earlier stage of development.
One approach being pursued by researchers is to imitate nature. Many natural constructions, including spiders’ webs and cell membranes, are "tensegrity systems" — robust structures made up of many interconnected elements which can be manipulated to change shape without losing their structural integrity. "These structures can bend and twist, but no element in the structure bends and twists," says Robert Skelton of the Structural Systems and Control Laboratory at the University of California in San Diego. "It’s the architecture of life."
While Dr Skelton is working on solving the engineering equations associated with tensegrity systems, Tristan d’ Estree Sterk at the Office for Robotic Architectural Media &. the Bureau for Responsive Architecture, an architectural practice based in Vancouver, Canada, has begun to construct prototypes of shape-changing "building envelopes" based on tensegrity structures. Lightweight skeletal frameworks, composed of rods and wires and controlled by pneumatic "muscles", serve as the walls of a building; adjusting their configuration to change the building’s shape. Mr. Sterk is also developing the "brain" needed to control such a building based on information from internal and external sensors.
Cars are already capable of monitoring their own performance and acting with a certain degree of autonomy, from cruise-control systems to airbag sensors. Such responsive behaviour is considered normal for a car; architects argue that the same sort of ideas should be incorporated into buildings, too.
And just as the performance of a car can be simulated in advance to choose the best design for a range of driving conditions, the same should be done for buildings, argues Gian Carlo Magnoli, an architect and the co-director of the Kinetic Design Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is devising blueprints for responsive houses. "We need to evolve designs for the best performing responsive-building models," he says.
So will we end up with cities of skyscrapers that wave in the breeze? It sounds crazy. But, says Mr. Sterk, many ideas that were once considered crazy are now commonplace. "Electricity was a batty idea, but now it’s universal, " he says. "Dynamic, intelligent, adaptable buildings are the logical next step, " he claims.
According to Para. 3, many natural constructions
选项
A、can cause change to elements in the structure.
B、are motivated by biological material architecture.
C、can change their shape without affecting their structural integrity.
D、are fragile structures made up of many interconnected elements.
答案
C
解析
事实细节题。由题干关键词many natural constructions可将答案定位于第三段第二句。由该句which引导的定语从句which can be manipulated to change shape without losing their structural integrity得知答案为[C]。[A]与第三句Robert Skelton所说的话相反,故排除;[B]无中生有;[D]中fragile与破折号后的robust意思相反,很容易排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/7fp4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
AccordingtostudiescitedbytheNationalEatingDisordersAssociation,42percentofgirlsinfirstthroughthirdgradewantt
Whatwouldpeopleusuallydowiththeirgrocerylistaftershopping?Thelastsentenceofthepassageimpliesthat
Whatwouldpeopleusuallydowiththeirgrocerylistaftershopping?Wasitaheorashe(Paragraph2)maybereplacedby
Acontroversialdecisiononwhetherchoicecutsofsteakandcartonsofmilkproducedfromclonedanimalsaresuitableforthed
Galileo,perhapsmorethananyothersingleperson,wasresponsibleforthebirthofmodernscience.Hisrenownedconflictwith
MillionsoffamiliessatdownintheirlivingroomsoneeveninglastAugusttowatchaliveMadonnaConcertfromFrance,telecas
Eachadvanceinmicroscopictechniquehasprovidedscientistswithnewperspectivesonthefunctionoflivingorganismsandthe
BlackdeaththatdroveNewtonfromhiscollegeandintoamomentousdiscovery,(1)_____Englandin1665.Astronomicalrecordsof
Untilaboutfourdecadesago,cropyieldsinagriculturalsystemsdependedon(1)_____resources,recyclingorganicmatter,buil
随机试题
以下不属于职业生涯早期员工的特征的是【】
下列药物中保钾利尿剂为
在Windows 2000中,能弹出对话框的操作是( )。
优先股的特征有()。
下列行为中,应当征收土地增值税的有()。(2008年)
党的群众路线的理论基础有()
()是指在公司内部的资金不能满足需要的时候,向公司外部筹集的资金。
市场上有两只股票。股票A标准差30%,股票B标准差20%,不允许卖空。若两只股票相关性系数为1,怎样的投资组合可以使风险最小?若两只股票相关系数为-1,风险最小的投资组合又应如何构造?
下列程序的功能是调用字体对话框来设置文本框中的字体,单击Command1按钮弹出对话框,进行相应的字体、字号等的设置,然后单击“确定”按钮退出对话框,则文本框中将发生哪些变化()。PrivateSubCommand1_Click()
Onceitwaspossibletodefinemaleandfemaleroleseasilybythedivisionoflabor.Menworkedoutsidethehomeandearnedthe
最新回复
(
0
)