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Architect's Brilliant Use of Materials Yields Self-Shading Windows

Doris Sung's thermobimetal system requires no energy and no controls

By Rain Noe - May 16, 2022

in Materials

Architect Doris Sung (we previously covered her here) invented InVert, a brilliant self-shading window system. Over a decade ago, Sung began experimenting with thermobimetals, which are made up of two different metal composites that have been layered into a sheet. Because the selected composites have different rates of thermal expansion, when they are exposed to heat, the sheets will curl:

Sung's insight was to create a grid of thermobimetal pieces, then sandwich them inside ordinary double-glazed windows.

The result of the arrangement is that when sunlight hits this window, it automatically shades itself, reducing cooling needs by up to 25%:

"What makes thermobimetals smart is that it requires no energy, and no controls," says Sung, a National Design Award winner. "And that's a very big deal for architecture."

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Sung has formed a company, TBM Designs, to commercialize the technology.

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Greg Blonder

3 years ago

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I've developed a related system using a bimorph of plastic or plastic/metal. 10x greater motion for the same temperature rise. A couple of examples here https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/bimorph.html
Yes, the eye sorts for differences, and even a single malfunctioning element is annoyingly visible. Impossible to repair. But can be used in a brise soleil or light shelf.

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Steven Martens

3 years ago

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I think it's cool, and hot.

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Zach W

3 years ago

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I wouldn't say this shading process "takes no energy" as the initial construction of this material is far more material, labor and energy intense than a standard window construction. It is clever but it also has drawbacks that are not mentioned.

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- Maxwell Samuels
  
  Zach W
  
  3 years ago
  
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  What disadvantages does this have? And really, how much more energy does it take over time.
  
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  - Zach W
    
    Maxwell Samuels
    
    3 years ago
    
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    Well.....
    -It probably takes more time to produce than standard window so slower production = more cost
    -It requires an entire sheet of laser-cut, dual-material metal (I'm sure that's super easy to make)
    -Seems to be thicker than a standard window.
    -Good luck repairing one. In the promo video you can see like 3-4 of the shades don't work. Can you imagine the cost to fix that thing? Take apart the whole wall and replace tiny tree-ornament sized piece of specialized metal? Cost of ownership would be brutal.
    -Even when it's "fully shaded" it's not fully shaded....Does not work for privacy as shown.
    -End-of-life recycling of the window is much harder now that you have glass and metal combined into one product.... Also I bet that dual-material metal is a pain to recycle. No comment there.
    
    So yeah, I see a few drawbacks.....but it looks cool.
    
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  - Zach W
    
    Maxwell Samuels
    
    3 years ago
    
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    I would also imagine that a wall of shiny metal sandwiched between two pieces of glass would become very hot in direct sunlight. Unless you have a third layer of glass on the inside I would think the glass itself would become pretty hot to the touch. It may block sunlight but it might also heat up like an easy-bake oven in arizona summer heat.
    
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Juan Cano

3 years ago

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This is truly amazing tech. Ignorant question: The same materials that are used in glasses that darken when you go into the sun, why can't they be incorporated into building glass? T

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