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  3. 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

admin2012-06-02  62
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。
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