tions), yet behaving as a collective whole to attain certain spatial reconfigurations.
THE MUSCLE TOWER 1
The Muscle Tower is a working prototype (model
scale 1: 20) for a building’s structure that responds to
external stimuli (the weather) and internal conditions (the users) (see Figure 3). This programmable
structure is seen as a process relating to other running processes (people, the environment) that displays real-time behavior. It was first shown at the
Aandrijftechniek exhibition, part of the Industrial
Week (a meeting point for Dutch industry), at the
Jaarbeurs Utrecht. This exhibition informed visitors
about many of the latest innovations, developments,
and ideas in the fields of power transmission, factory
automation, and motion control in one brain-stim-ulating visit. Some possible practical applications of
a real-time adaptive structure like the Muscle Tower
include:
• Adaptive Facade: Adapting to changing external
environmental conditions and internal usage patterns.
• Responsive Roof: Responding to changes in solar
radiation.
The potential importance of interactivity through organic reshaping of buildings
as computers, and as computer displays, has become apparent.