Using Tensegrity and Folding to Generate Soft Responsive Architectural Skins Sherif Abdelmohsen 1 , Passaint Massoud 2 , Ahmed Elshafei 3 1 The American University in Cairo, Ain Shams University 2,3 The American Uni- versity in Cairo 1,2,3 {sherifmorad|drpassaint|a.elshafei}@aucegypt.edu This paper describes the process of designing a prototype for a soft responsive system for a kinetic building facade. The prototype uses lightweight materials and mechanisms to generate a building facade skin that is both soft (less dependent on hard mechanical systems) and responsive (dynamically and simultaneously adapting to spatial and environmental conditions). By combining concepts stemming from both tensegrity structures and folding mechanisms, we develop a prototype that changes dynamically to produce varying facade patterns and perforations based on sensor-network data and feedback. We use radiation sensors and shape memory alloys to control the prototype mechanism and allow for the required parametric adaptation. Based on the data from the radiation sensors, the lengths of the shape memory alloys are altered using electric wires and are parametrically linked to the input data. The transformation in the resulting overall surface is directly linked to the desired levels of daylighting and solar exposure. We conclude with directions for future research, including full scale testing, advanced simulation, and multi-objective optimization. Keywords: Soft responsive systems, tensegrity, folding, kinetic facades INTRODUCTION This paper explores the design of kinetic façade sys- tems within the framework of soft architecture ma- chines (Negroponte 1975), where advanced comput- ing brings in possibilities for "living" in a "meaning- ful" and responsive man-made environment, thus al- lowing for a quality of architecture that incorporates different needs of building occupants altogether, in- cluding climatic comfort, spatial requirements and social interaction. Our main focus involves a "soft re- sponsive system" (Khoo et al. 2011) that capitalizes on lightweight materials and tensegrity structures to develop low-cost and energy-saving kinetic building façade skins. Early examples of responsive systems included systems that enabled responsiveness by means of a programmable façade such as the Aegis Hyposurface by dECOi (Goulthorpe et al. 2001), programmable audio-visual interior settings such as the Freshwater Pavilion by NOX (Lootsma and Spuybroek 1997), and responsive behavior through the changing form of a cloud such as the Blur project (Diller and Scofidio 2002). These "hard" mechanical approaches were challenging for adoption in large scale architectural SMART AND RESPONSIVE DESIGN - Volume 1 - eCAADe 34 | 529