Soft Skin
Soft Skin is a research project that investigates the possibilities of using air inflation in architecture, as an active response to constantly changing parameters in the environment. The Skin is a new composite material made of thin layers of flexible silicone rubber and elastic fabric. The material system consists of a series of inflatable cells combined in groups, which could be inflated or deflated to change form and appearance. This tunable topography responds to real-time data of wind and light. These two parameters determine the behavior of the skin that responds with different air pressures inside the system. Soft Skin is designed to reduce wind vibrations and air drag and infiltrate the light.
With this, its application could include mounting on high-rise buildings that are exposed to high-speed winds and by this allowing more open spaces on high levels. It could also be a skin for canopies in urban spaces to protect users from high-speed wind and sunlight. In Soft Skin, an increase in pressure goes from softening the edges by volume expansion to small bumps on the surface resulting in skin roughness. Volume expansion is related to creating a damping effect. Another parameter Soft Skin acts upon, is filtering light through its layers. When inflated the wall thickness is becoming less thus allowing more light to go through it. When deflated inner and outer layers are closer, so the more considerable is the amount of bending of sunray, thus less light is passing through. Except for air pressure, materials used to create this composite are determining its behavior. Silicon types vary in tensile strength and elongation at break, while fabric also varies in tensile strength and direction of stretchability as well as transparency. The result is a high-strength, inflatable skin that creates a lightweight membrane that embraces a new material system, soft, translucent, and responsive.
Project Credit:
Project Title: Soft Skin
IaaC – Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia
Master in Advanced Architecture 2014/15
Students: Lubna Alayeli, Nina Jotanovic, Ceren Temel, Farah Alayeli
Senior Faculty: Areti Markopoulou
Faculty Assistant: Alexandre Dubor
Computational Support: Carlos Bausa Martinez
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.