Is the future of architecture metamaterials?
Choosing the right building materials is crucial if you want to create the ideal home. You need to look at all kinds of things here, including the texture and aesthetics, performance, and sustainability. It is important to also think about new innovations and how you could use them. Metamaterials have the potential to completely change the built world. We want to have a closer look at them below. Then, if you want to design residential architecture in London with a friendly, award winning team, you should choose us.
What are they?
Many people may not be familiar with metamaterials. They are an interesting innovation, using different materials to create a synthetic composite. The main thing here is you can design them with a specific internal structure. In turn, this means they can have properties far beyond what you can find in the wild.
One of the most interesting things is metamaterials open the door for a big change in how we create buildings. Architects would be able to specify what they need, then materials scientists and engineers can produce them. It would be a more efficient approach, delivering materials tailored specifically to achieve the performance requirements.
What can they do?
The most amazing thing about metamaterials is what they can do. Crucially, they can be designed to manipulate various types of waves. Therefore, you can create buildings that are able to react to sound, light, and vibration in different ways. It opens the door for amazing properties, potentially even residential architecture in London in the future.
Soundproofing
An application that will appeal to lots of people is the potential to create high quality soundproofing. You could design materials to redirect soundwaves entirely, eliminating specific types of noise. For example, you could prevent traffic sounds from getting into a home. Or you could use them to prevent breakout noises in hospitals, apartment buildings, and other properties.
The potential here is wonderful, especially in built up areas where noise could be a public health concern. It could massively improve health and wellbeing. Impressively, the metamaterials can offer incredible performance with a thin profile. As a result, they can improve the amount of internal space in properties.
Lighting and HVAC
Metamaterials can also be designed so they can be responsive to light and heat. For example, they could effectively redirect natural light in properties, opening the door for more creative daylighting strategies. Plus, they could effectively filter thermal radiation. It could revolutionise how we approach heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Seismic protection
Finally, you could design materials that are able to respond to vibrations and retain their integrity. This has a huge amount of potential for creating buildings with higher levels of protection against seismic activity. Most importantly, they could absorb the vibration energy during earthquakes and then dissipate it safely.
Designing residential architecture in London for the future
Coffey Residential understands how important it is to look ahead when designing homes, especially high end properties. Longevity, timelessness, and sustainability are all crucial. It is also vital to think about how areas will change, including factors like density, noise, and even climate.
Using the right materials is pivotal when you design a home. It'll be interesting to see if metamaterials can make a big impact in the future. They have all the potential to, and there is plenty of momentum to see more real world applications.
If you want some help with residential architecture in London, feel free to speak to us. We're award winning architects and have the flexibility to take on all kinds of projects.