The mechanism, developed by the German company Bumat, is reminiscent of revolving stages in the theater. A breakfast lodge, guest room and home office can be swiveled out by 90 degrees. In the Sharifi-ha House in Teheran entire rooms can be rotated out from the facade. A lot of technical research has gone into the mechanism and the stability of the practical "folding balcony". Inspired by technical innovations, the functional spectrum of flexible facade elements continues to expand.Īnother example is the "Bloomframe" developed by the architects of HofmanDujardin for warm summer nights in densely built-up urban areas: the façade of the building showcases a split window which folds out to become a balcony at the touch of a button in 10 seconds. The spectacular digital facade of the MegaFaces pavilion in Sochi which displayed ever-changing portraits of visitors was an example. Kinetic architecture is still associated with surprising visual effects due to moving facade elements. © Wikimedia Commons / Raimond Spekking Office building Kölner Straße by Otto Piene After decades of stagnation, the huge light reflector is planned to rotate again soon. The center of the outer shell is made of faceted steel panels that form a wheel from which rods with aluminum spheres project. An example of the later symbiosis between kinetic art and architecture is the corner facade of an office building in Cologne's Hohe Straße, designed in 1966 by ZERO artist, Otto Piene. Pioneers of kinetic architecture have been artists of Constructivism since the beginning of the 20th century. Kinetic architecture is experimenting with movable building parts, such as rotating façade elements or folding walls. Kinetic architecture is experiencing exciting impulses thanks to innovative materials and new technologies.
Outer shells will become interactive energy facades when equipped with movable elements. Engineers are developing rotatable and foldable facade elements with function and almost magical touch.