It’s always a thrill when the Bucky Lab turns an abstract idea into a tangible, working prototype. The “ThermoTwist” project is one of those moments when technology and elegance meet: a façade element that moves without motors, cables, or electricity—just by responding to heat.
Developed by Vicky Riegers, Caroline Bos, Lieke Buijssen, Yasaman Shams, and Janvi Dedhia, and guided by Dr.-Ing. Marcel Bilow, Ir. Nadia Remmerswaal, and Ir. Hugo Nagtzaam, this prototype explores passive kinetic façadesusing the smart alloy Nitinol.
The system consists of almond-shaped aluminum and carbon-fiber panels, spanned by ETFE fabric membranes. As temperature changes, the Nitinol wire spring expands and contracts, triggering a rotation of 0–90 degrees. A wishbone joinery ensures synchronized motion across the array, while a safety slipping mechanisms allow the façade to flex safely under wind loads.
The result is a dynamic shading system that breathes with the building— responsive, and beautifully rhythmic. The students not only designed and simulated the system but also built it 1:1 in the Bucky Lab, proving that kinetic architecture doesn’t always need a plug.
This project proudly continues the Bucky Lab tradition: invent, prototype, test, and share.
In retrospect we have to tell that nitinol isn’t capable up to now of moving the elements, so for now we have to install a different actuator!
facadeworld 