Shahar Polachek, Noy Ilan, Ben Kahana
Israel

Our world changes constantly. Changes in recent years are equivalent to changes that took decades in the last century. Technology is evolving and its use intensifies in every aspect of our lives. Society and culture are changing at the speed of light. But this process seems to skip the field of architecture.

One hundred years ago, we used to communicate with letters and Morse. Nowadays, trillions of gigabytes of information flow every second between distant locations on our planet, without any complications. In contrast, architecture remains almost the same – a constant skeleton on which systems are tacked. When one wishes to make a difference in architecture or urban fabric, a significant problem emerges – the amount of waste produced in the demolition of one building is huge (27,000 tons on average in New York) and no more than 60% of this waste can be recycled. Any changes will involve great amounts of waste and an enormous amount of power. The current system makes it barely possible to manipulate and match architecture to other fields in people’s lives.

In 2017’s Manhattan, about half of the buildings are more than a hundred years old. If we wanted to keep the city relevant for today’s needs and habits, the waste that cannot be recycled from the ruins of these buildings would cover about 33% of Manhattan. Another problem is the very crowded urban fabric which makes it difficult with to cope with change and urban renewal.

The use of Nanotechnology in architecture will open new possibilities. We would be able to choose spaces which will provide any unexpected need at any specific time, and to provide a solution which changes and evolve over time according to the needs of the evolving population. The bureaucratic way of planning and the dependency on architects and constructors would disappear and a new, free age of architecture will arise.

Step One: Coating the building with Nanoparticles.

Step Two: The particles change the layout according to the needs of the community. The structure can grow and change using both the construction waste and the waste of its residents.

Step Three: The building’s evolution mimics the natural selection mechanism as spaces which are being used will grow and evolve while unused spaces will mutate or collapse and change their purpose.

Step Four: The urban fabric continually evolves in parallel to space-specific changes. Due to the importance of the ground level in crowded cities, buildings will morph in a way that keeps it clear for public use.

The use of Nanotechnology makes it possible to produce a variety of spaces which are adjusted so that each space is shaped according to the needs and wishes of its users, without the need of planners. For example, when a couple has a baby, more human waste is produced, the living apartment then have more energy to grow and adapt to the new conditions. When the child leaves home, the apartment will ‘feel’ a decrease in available energy and current usage, then parts of the apartment will collapse and change to adapt to the current situation.

This adjustment of the city will create a new kind of community that is independent of place. Families and companies can grow and evolve, yet remain in the same location as spaces develop according to their needs. In time, there will be no more specific definitions for floors, buildings, blocks and neighborhoods, the city will become an undefined assembly of program-dependent spaces. Such spaces which are used for housing may be used, in time of need, as work spaces or for public use.