Chameleon

a responsive playground
for a children’s hospital

Chameleon is a design proposal for a responsive, playful

sculpture for the waiting area or hallways in children
hospitals or doctor’s offices. The sculpture is made from
a thermochromically enhanced Corian material which
allows the surfaces to change their colour in response
to human touch. In addition a novel post-production
technique is presented, which enables the creation of
complex free-form shapes without the necessity for
time- and cost intensive moulds and form work. With this
technique, so far unrealized constellations can be built.
 Introduction
responsive design studio is an experimental
architectural design office based in Zurich, Switzerland
and Cologne, Germany. The strength of the studio is
rooted in applied design research and a commitment to
radically exploring opportunities in creating responsive,
adaptive, and engaging spatial interventions. A special
focus lies in developing solutions for vivid architectural
geometries that interact with their user in the process
of creation but also in the built shape, materialization,
surface and visual behaviour. The studio is highly
experienced in creating moving, dynamic structures but
also in applying generative and parametric strategies to
building and design.

In close junction with the materiability research

network, a community research platform that provides
open access to cutting-edge material developments
for the architecture and design disciplines, as well
as the Tischlerei Bächer, a CNC production facility
specializing in the fabrication of complex geometries, the
studio forms the creative linkage between cutting edge
material research and advanced digital fabrication.

The partners of responsive design studio are also

strongly involved in research and teaching activities at
renown universities like ETH Zurich, FH Cologne, KISD, The interactive sculpture ‘Cone’ was set up at the 2007 Burning Man Festival
and many others and through this have constant input
and exchange with the academic world.

The work of responsive design studio reaches across

various scales, environments and uses. In the past the
office has realized a number of large scale interactive
installations, exhibition designs, furniture pieces and
objects as well as conceptual proposals, prototypes
and experiments. The Corian design competition
‘Shape the Future’ provides a unique opportunity since
it addresses a multitude of crucial aspects that can
be witnessed in the work of the studio. The following
proposal Chameleon, a responsive playground for
a children’s hospital merges a novel approach to the
solid surface material with a new production technique ‘Floating Flowers’ was a kinetic installation for children realized at the 2009 Beam Camp
for the creation of complex geometries.

Cone V2 is since 2009 an annual attraction at the Voodoo Experience Festival in New Orleans

The exhibition design ‘Particles’ at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Cologne in 2012 focused on novel material and fabrication techniques

The aim of the project Chameleon, a responsive
playground for a children’s hospital is to design
and develop a playful and engaging sculpture helping
to create a calming and distracting environment for
the children patients while waiting for their doctor’s
appointment.
A major problem in many children hospitals and medical
offices is to prepare the patients for their upcoming
examination or surgery while providing a space that both
engages them but also offers the necessary peace and
privacy. Moreover the rooms are usually only equipped
with a small amount of furniture, toys or books since
everything has to be cleaned at the end of the day to
avoid the spread of germs and bacteria.
Concept
Chameleon is a proposal for a fluid spatial intervention
where room, furniture and toys merge into a
homogeneous sculptural landscape. The design is
based on the assumption of an ‘endless’ strip of Corian,
which transforms, bends, twists, rotates, swirls and
buckles along its way throughout the space. The interior
becomes a dynamic, vibrant and colourful playground
that allows for a variety of activities while remaining
stable, solid, and clean. The particular properties of
Corian, like ease of maintenance and cleansing, and
providing a solid yet smooth surface make it a perfect
material for such a responsive environment.
The core idea is based on three unique novelties:

Long waiting Few or no activities Increase of fear and

periods in the to distract children anxiety
waiting room

Chameleon Surface
Thermochromic leuco pigments will be embedded during
the fabrication of the Corian slabs. Thermochromic
Long waiting Few or no activities Increase of fear and
materials change colour reversibly in response
periodstoinacolours
the Lo to distract children
responsive surfaces anxiety
Less intimidating
Changing
change in temperature. They come in a variety
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instigate imagina- wa riods aitin encourage play environment for
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never been applied as solid free-form surfaces.

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Mould-free deformation Complex freeform surfaces
A novel technique of slicing the material from one side The unique production method enables the fabrication
CoChanging
allows the creation of complex curvatures without the colours of formerly unrealisable shapesresponsive
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Through these major interventions the sculpture

becomes an active three dimensional canvas on which
the children can paint with their hands and fingers.
Re
Through their body temperature the material will adjust pro duct
its colour, and like a chameleon, adapt and change du ion
cti
over time and occupation. This effect and the haptic on of
co
experience of painting not only distracts the children from sts
their upcoming appointment but encourages them to
interact with the surface and their environment and other This means a completely new way of interacting with and
patients. Since the colour change remains for a certain through an architectural element by other means than
period, even after the interaction has stopped, they can established technologies or media since the material
leave traces for themselves or patients arriving later. inherently provides all necessary responses.
 Material
Thermochromism is the property of substances
to change colour due to a change in temperature.
Thermochromics come in various forms such as
dyes, paints, inks or pigments. When activated they
perform a reversible change from coloured to colourless
(translucent) trough molecular rearrangement. The
thermochromic particles (1) are usually below 20μm in
diameter and contain a colourant (2), an (organic) acid
(3), which is responsible for the reversibility and intensity
of the colour change, and a low melting solvent, whose
melting point controls the temperature at which the
colour change will happen.

solvent in solid (colored) state solvent in liquid (colorless) state

organic
organic heating
acid (3)
acid (3) temperature change
colorant (2)
cooling colorant (2)

polymeric microencapsulation (1)

As long as the temperature is lower than the solvent’s Thermochromic gradient visible on a circular disk of plastic
melting point the colour-forming components are
in contact and a visible colour appears. When the
temperature is increased beyond the melting point of the
solvent, the colour-forming components are separated
and the colour vanishes.

100
cooling heating
80
color intensity (%)

60

40

20
Thermochromic resin curing in aluminium moulds

0°C 35°C 40°C 45°C 50°C

Both the colour and the active temperature of the dyes

can be controlled and programmed. Commercially
available products exist in a variety of predefined colours
and have standard transition temperatures at 16°C -
18°C, 30°C - 33°C, 43°C - 45°C and 62°C - 65°C. The
colour change takes place over a temperature difference
of roughly 5°C. Due to thermal hysteresis the colours
already begin to fade at around 4°C below the actual
activation temperature. The consecutive cooling process
requires a significantly lower temperature to return to full 16 small test pieces with varying colours and thicknesses
colour strength

The dye systems can be mixed with “traditional”

colour pigments, which create a transition from one
colour to the other. A straight forward way of creating
thermochromic solid objects was tested by adding the
pigments to a polyester resin. During the mixing process
the thermochromic powder was simply stirred into the
resin and once it was completely and homogeneously
dissolved poured into a previously created mould. After
the resin had cured the solid plastic element could be
removed and treated further.

Two objects testing different colour intensities and dispersions The same elements during their colour transformation
 Production
The proposed production method is based on bended,
a “Python for Rhino” based script, which was developed
by responsive design studio in 2013. The automated
tool creates production data for a CNC milling machine
or laser cutter to create curved surfaces with varying
curvature directions, angles and radii, based on plane
sheet materials. In addition several parameters including
material thickness, cutting slot depth and width, the
radius on the respective edges and the curvature angle
can be pre-determined. From these constraints and
design input parameters a cutting pattern, but also
Cardboard prototype

milling paths are automatically generated.

The study below shows three special case studies.
In all of them, the input parameters are based on the A closed loop made from brown wood veneer
number of slots calculated in the corresponding folding
or bending, which are required for the desired radius and
indicated angle.

DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form

Generator Generator Generator

Radius = 130 mm Radius = 60 mm Radius = 130 mm

Angle = 90 ° Angle = 45 ° Angle = 90 °
Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 10 mm
Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm
Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80%

DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form

Generator Generator Generator

Radius = 130 mm Radius = 200 mm Radius = 130 mm

Angle = 45 ° Angle = 45 ° Angle = 90 °
Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 50 mm
Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm
Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80%

DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form DiCRV Material to Form

Generator Generator Generator

Testing the principle on a small piece of Corian

Radius = 130 mm Radius = 400 mm Radius = 130 mm
Angle = 180 ° Angle = 45 ° Angle = 90 °
Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 30 mm Mat.Thickness = 80 mm
Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm Slice Thickness = 2mm
Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80% Slice Depth Factor = 80%

Since the desired curvature is determined solely by the

amount and density of the slots, the pieces automatically
lock into the predefined position when bended. They
are then simply glued or fixed otherwise to remain their
shape.

Cardboard prototype

Various cardboard studies The technique applied to the design of a stool

The design tool has been successfully tested on different
materials, like wood veneer, multiplex, cardboard, as well
as a small strip of Corian.
 Design
The design proposal is based on a continuous strip of
colour-changing Corian, morphing throughout the space
and thus creating various shapes, uses and situations.
In order to find possible geometries basic paper-strip
experiments were conducted. From the multitude
of morphologies a number or recurring forms were
selected.

These include but are not limited to:

• spirals, that can be used to sit upon and

crawl through
• bumps, which could work as seating elements
or tables
• high and low loops, that can function as slides
or areas to lay down
• waves for climbing over but also for sitting
and laying upon
• vertical loops and spirals as zones for hiding
and resting
Vertical spirals can be used as private retreats More complex forms combining various types

Wave shapes could form seating and climbing areas High loops function as slides and responsive canvas Spirals and tunnels can be used to crawl through and climb

In order to verify if a curvature and bending can also be

achieved with a larger surface, a 1:1 test was conducted
on a large piece of multiplex wood. The piece was slit
from both sides with a saw blade on a CNC router. The
slots were then filled with wood glue and small triangular
strips to provide additional support.

Once glued together the surface bent in both directions

and provided enough stiffness to carry two adult persons
standing on it

Piece of multiplex wood after cutting Filling glue into the slots After the glue had dried the surface was smooth and stable
 References
Due to the teaching and research activities of the
partners of responsive design studio in academic
environments numerous student courses and workshops
could be realized. During these an experimental and
radical approach towards material and manufacturing
techniques was always in the foreground.

In 2012 Caspar Lohner, under the supervision of

Mathias Bernhard and Manuel Kretzer, designed and
built SleepBox, a contemporary and organic piece of
furniture at the Chair for Computer Aided Architectural
Deisgn, ETH Zurich. The sinuous life-sized object is
designed to create a place of comfort and relaxation
within airports, offices or other semi-public spaces, thus
providing peace and quiet in busy urban environments.
The solid, smooth and uniform shell was made from HI-
MACS material with the support of Kläusler Acrylstein.

Prior to the above project the limits and possibilities of

the solid surface material were examined during the
production of the Floater, a chaise lounge designed by
Manuel Kretzer and Mathias Bernhard.
The elegant design is based on the distinctive material
properties of acrylic stone combined with advanced
digital design and fabrication techniques. Generative
modelling and analyation tools were used to maximize
the available area on each sheet and minimize stress due Floater in red, responsive design studio, 2012
to bending.

The use of thermochromic pigments to create solid

three dimensional objects was first tested during the
student course Resinance at the Chair for Computer
Aided Architectural Design, ETH Zurich. It consisted of
40 active elements that were gradually changing their
surface colour in response to human touch. Every four
elements were connected through a computerized
control unit which both choreographed the behaviour of
the particular cluster and transmitted the current state
of each element to its neighbours. Therefore the tactile
input not only changed the touched element but was
spread throughout the whole installation in a networked,
swarm like behaviour. SleepBox by Caspar Lohner, CAAD, 2012

Contact
responsive design studio

Langackerstr. 56
8057 Zürich Floater in black, responsive design studio, 2012
Switzerland

Höninger Weg 47
50969 Köln
Germany

info@responsivedesign.de
www.responsivedesign.de

Project Team
Hans Sachs
Manuel Kretzer
Carolina Menezes
Touch responsive surface of Resinance, CAAD, 2013