MIT Architects to Unveil Building Made of Digital Water at 2008 World Expo

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's news room announced plans by its architects and engineers to unveil The Digital Water Pavilion at the 2008 World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain. The Pavilion is said to include a café, an exhibition area and public spaces.

The Digital Water Pavilion will be made of liquid curtains for walls that will have the capability to be programmed to show images and messages. Another spectacular feature is the digital water walls will automatically part open when it senses an object approaching.

Carlo Ratti, head of MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory gives an example of understanding the concept of digital water walls:

"To understand the concept of digital water, imagine something like an inkjet printer on a large scale, which controls droplets of falling water."

A row of closely spaced solenoid valves along a pipe suspended in the air, make up the "water walls" used in the structure. A computer will control the valves opening and closing at a high frequency. This will produce a curtain of falling water. Water and air will create a pattern of pixels. The display becomes a one-bit-deep digital exhibit that will constantly scroll downward.

"You could throw a ball at the wall, and then see an open circle drop down to meet it precisely where and when its trajectory intersected the water surface. And, with suitable programming, touching the water surface at any point can propagate patterns horizontally, along the wall, to other locations," explains head of MIT's Design Laboratory, William J. Mitchell.

Covered by a thin layer of water, the roof of the pavilion will be support by pistons that will move up and down. In the case of too much wind, the roof will lower. Another astonishing fact is when the pavilion is closed; the roof will fall to the ground and the exhibit will disappear.

This Digital Water Pavilion will definitely be a sight to see in 2008.

As for the 2008 World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain; organizers say they will cover its one hundred percent of its energy demand with renewable energy. All the material used to promote the Expo will be organic. Thousands of bags have been made with potatoes starch, all the paper is recycled and ball point pens with algae paper or remains of used cars. The Expo will be held between June 14 and September 14.

SOURCE:

Richards, P. (2007/07/10). MIT architects design building with 'digital water' walls. Retrieved July 11, 2007, from MIT News Web site: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/waterbuilding-0711.html