Tentacles of Innovation: Unleashing the Power of Squids in Building Science

I recently engaged the esteemed team at Building Knowledge Canada to conduct a comprehensive assessment of my home, aiming to identify any deficiencies in its building envelope. While my knowledge of building science may pale in comparison to experts such as Toby Smith , Andrew Oding , and Angela Bustamante , I consider myself fortunate to have established connections with these remarkable individuals, who have positively impacted the lives of countless Canadians by enhancing their building envelopes and overall comfort. This weekend my home was a muggy 78 degrees with an indoor humidity of 60+% before I started tinkering with my hydronic heat pump to get it under control.

My passion for continuous learning drives me to immerse myself in a vast array of subjects, much like I consume movies and music. Whether I am engrossed in the spectacle of Jurassic Park or delving into a documentary on thermal batteries, I devote considerable time to studying the latest research findings. This dedication extends to my professional pursuits, where I have honed my expertise in HVAC systems and heat pumps. It was with great enthusiasm that I stumbled upon an extraordinary breakthrough from the American Chemical Society over the weekend.

In the quest for energy-efficient buildings, scientists are turning to the most unexpected sources for inspiration. A recent study published in ACS Nano has introduced a squid-inspired soft material that can regulate its transparency across a wide range of wavelengths, including visible, infrared, and microwave. This innovative material has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach building envelopes, particularly in the areas of smart windows, insulation, and heat loss management.

Smart Windows: A New Dawn in Energy Efficiency

Not long ago, I found myself humorously (or perhaps not so humorously after all) contemplating the need for a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) film for my son's bedroom. It seemed that while the rest of the house maintained a comfortable 72 degrees, his room would inexplicably reach a scorching 85 degrees. In jest, I shared this predicament with Robert Bean and Allison A. Bailes III, PhD , suggesting that a makeshift emergency shelter from the dollar store would suffice, albeit at the cost of visibility. Little did I realise that this lighthearted yet genuine scenario would eventually lead me to stumble upon this breakthrough.

The squid-inspired material's ability to regulate its transparency has significant implications for the development of smart windows. Traditional windows allow light and heat to enter a building indiscriminately, leading to increased energy consumption for cooling or heating. However, windows equipped with this new material can intelligently regulate the amount of light and heat they let in.

When the material is contracted, it can block light and trap infrared heat, reducing the need for artificial lighting and heating. Conversely, when the material is stretched, it increases optical transparency and allows heat and microwaves to be transmitted. This feature can be particularly useful for natural lighting and passive solar heating, reducing a building's overall energy consumption and contributing to a more sustainable future.

Insulation: Trapping Heat Where It Belongs

In the realm of building science, insulation plays a pivotal role in maintaining optimal temperatures within structures, preserving warmth during colder seasons and preventing excessive heat from infiltrating during warmer periods. Visionaries like James Savoie and his exceptional team at Frontier have dedicated themselves to consistently pushing the boundaries (both figuratively and literally) to enhance occupant comfort by constructing the epitome of a thermal envelope for their clients' homes. The emergence of this groundbreaking technology has the potential to revolutionize the future of home construction, shaping the way James and other industry professionals approach their craft. The squid-inspired material's ability to trap infrared heat when contracted can significantly enhance a building's insulation properties.

By integrating this material into a building's envelope, we can create structures that are better equipped to maintain a stable internal temperature, regardless of external conditions. This improved insulation reduces the need for energy-intensive heating and cooling systems, leading to substantial energy savings and a reduced carbon footprint.

Reducing Heat Loss: A Step Towards Sustainability

The topic of sustainability weighs heavily on our minds, and as my colleagues at McCallum HVAC Design can confirm, heat loss stands as a formidable challenge in residential buildings. This issue not only contributes to escalated energy consumption but also translates into higher utility expenses. Year after year, they diligently perform thousands of load calculations, driven by the mission to design and implement energy-efficient, cost-effective solutions that deliver unparalleled comfort to homeowners. The advent of groundbreaking technologies such as this has the potential to profoundly transform the already diminishing loads of modern homes, playing a pivotal role in reducing our collective carbon footprint as Canadians. However, the squid-inspired material's unique properties offer a promising solution to this problem.

The material's ability to block light and trap infrared heat when contracted can be used to prevent heat loss through windows and other parts of a building's envelope. This can help maintain a comfortable indoor temperature, reducing the need for additional heating and contributing to energy efficiency.

The squid-inspired material represents a significant breakthrough in building science, offering a novel approach to creating energy-efficient buildings. By harnessing the unique properties of this material, we can develop smart windows that intelligently regulate light and heat, enhance insulation, and reduce heat loss. This technology holds the promise of a more sustainable future, where buildings are not just structures we inhabit, but intelligent systems working to conserve energy and improve our quality of life.