A Spanish research team has developed a revolutionary construction system called HyperMembrane. It consists of an adaptable architectonic structure that can be used in different configurations depending on the climate and energy requirements.

Retractable stadium roofs and self-adaptive buildings that adjust to the weather are just some of the possibilities that this new construction system called HyperMembrane can offer. Thanks to the use of advanced technology which had never been applied to architecture before, such as thermoplastic composites and smart actuators, the system opens the door to an unlimited number of architectonic forms for design and construction as a function of the climate and a structure’s energy needs.

The new building system consists of an adaptable structure that can be molded into different shapes, depending on the final design that the user has in mind. The articulation system is possible thanks not only to thermoplastic composites, but also to the innovative shape of its beams.

HyperMembrane is the result of four years of work by a team of Spanish architects, in collaboration with the Ascamm Technology Center (Centro Tecnológico de Fundación Ascamm). The project received an Ascamm Innovation Award in 2013. The new architectonic system will enable the use of new materials and actuators in construction, which until now had been employed exclusively for industrial robotics.