THINKING BEYOND STEEL AND CONCRETE : REINVENT ARCHITECTURE WITH TECTONIC INTEGRATION OF ETFE CUSHION SYSTEM

Abstract

Contemporary Architecture now places a lot more emphasis on the design of envelopes and facades of the building due to its unique potential to make its building not only weather protected but also iconic, sustainable, energy efficient and lastly giving its occupants comfort and architecture experience. Henceforth, there is a need to look out for new material/ technology that enables its building envelope to perform the above mentioned qualities. This need to adopt new materials and technology for its building envelopes to be more performance based has led to this research on a recent new material ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) as a building envelope. As such, this paper is to do studies to find out that that the increasing adoption of ETFE as building envelopes is due to its ability to fulfill the following four main types of qualities as demanded in today’s Contemporary Architecture: 1. Form preferences 2. The intention of extending the role of the skin beyond weather protection and daylighting 3. Perceiving architecture as symbol and sign where the skin system is a means to accommodate the floor plan and building system thus bringing the 2 separate systems together 4. The appropriation to the functions of the architecture. The findings of the paper is gearing towards the concept that as ETFE is able to fulfil the require qualities as demanded in current contemporary architecture, there will be increasing adoption of such new material. And such increasing demand will propel growth and development of ETFE technology over the foreseeable future to suit more building needs.