Materials are becoming increasingly intelligent. They are helping to make interior design more multifunctional, flexible and sustainable. They offer new application options and diverse potential for designers and architects.
The tabletop charges the smartphone, while the window blinds open and close automatically according to the position of the sun. The finish on the wall ensures the room is kept at an optimal temperature. This may sound like a dream, but it is increasingly becoming a reality today with smart materials. The special characteristics of innovative materials are changing interior furnishings. They react to temperature, improve acoustics or act as a power source. At the same time, they are becoming lighter, more robust and more flexible. New developments in this field are thus offering designers and architects enormous potential. The smart materials that come onto the market today can often be found in tomorrow’s furniture design and interior architecture.
Positive Impact on the Internal Environment
This cycle of innovation features prominently in the products on show at trade fairs like imm cologne, interzum or ORGATEC. In addition to market-ready design products, these fairs showcase innovative materials and surfaces, as well as new ideas for how they can be used. Smart materials open up entirely new possibilities. They adapt to external influences and are, therefore, mostly used in locations where they have a positive impact on their surroundings in terms of shading, air conditioning, acoustics or lighting. Surfaces that react automatically to their environment can improve well-being, for example by changing the color of the light and thus reducing the stress levels of people in the room. They can also display the temperature or the level of air pollution, or generate energy.
Reduced Material Usage
Thanks to new lightweight construction solutions, it is also easier to make interior furnishings more flexible. Room design becomes a lot more straightforward using these materials. It is possible to significantly reduce the amount of material used and, consequently, also the weight. This is not only advantageous in terms of the ability to change the furniture and room design but also helps to conserve resources.
Sustainable Applications
In fact, the sustainable application of smart materials plays an important role. “The use of function-integrated materials and the intelligent use of materials give designers and architects the opportunity to work much more consciously with the available resources”, says Dr. Sascha Peters of the Berlin-based agency for materials Haute Innovation.
“Smart Office Materials”
The materials expert will be demonstrating the potential associated with these solutions at the forthcoming ORGATEC. The focus of the leading international trade fair will be on everything related to modern work environments. “Smart Office Materials”, the special area developed by Dr. Sascha Peters, will offer a glimpse into the future, introducing innovative and intelligent materials and illustrating how they are changing the living and working environment.
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