This article was taken from the September 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.

The roof pictured here is alive: when it gets too hot, it becomes more porous, letting a breeze into the room. It's made from thermobimetal: a layered combination of metal alloys that responds to the environment, like a plant. Their ability to curl when heated means they can be used for shape-changing building façades.

The creator of this living canopy is American-Korean architect

Doris Sung, 50, who takes her inspiration from biology. "Our skin is designed to accommodate our bodies," she says. "Our surroundings should be the same -- the walls around us should respond and adapt to the humans within them."

Her dO|Su studio is working with Spanish research organisation Tecnalia to build smart windows made from the material, which, like the canopy, will ventilate the room via porous surfaces when heated. "When the Sun hits the canopy, its pieces will curl to either block it or let it in," says Sung. "We're also working on self-assembly systems where the heated piece will curl and lock into a new position, without labour." Another Sung prototype can fold itself into a chain.

The key is in the software she designs. "The digital component is important in the planning process, not only to model, but to figure out the shapes needed," she explains. "The material wants to curl, but it curls differently depending on how it's cut. Digital design infuses that smartness into it."

This article was originally published by WIRED UK