Aile de bois - Yaman Al Fawaz, Emil Rey Büchler

Aile de bois reacts passively to fluctuations in relative humidity in the environment by utilizing the natural hygroscopic properties of wood. Thanks to this phenomenon, the rain cover can move into two positions: when it is sunny, it stands upright; when it starts to rain, the surface curves to form a canopy.

Wood absorbs and adsorbs naturally the humidity present in the air (relative humidity). A specific material choice amplifies wood’s hygroscopic behaviour. It is made from a wooden bi-layer, Beech (sensitive to humidity) and Pine veneer (insensitive to humidity). It results in a big difference of positions, related to the relative air humidity of the context it is present in. 

We applied our object to a tramway stop, where a lot of the times, shelters are missing and people are left unprotected against the rain. Our rain shelter gets easily attached to the metal pole where the tramway timelines are shown. It acts as an intelligent yet passive shelter that is constantly adapting to its surroundings. While hygroscopic behaviour is usually avoided when building with wood, we decided to show and celebrate its powerful abilities.