On May 27, 2026, Ekin Sila Sahin will present the Solar Gate project at the BioBuild Boot Camp in the livMatS Biomimetic Shell in Freiburg, Germany.
The event will bring together researchers across biology, materials science, architecture, and engineering to explore bioinspired building elements that adapt to environmental conditions with lower embodied and operational energy. As part of the boot camp, Ekin will introduce the Solar Gate, a weather-responsive shading system installed on the south-facing skylight of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell, where the event will take place. Inspired by pine cones, the Solar Gate adapts to the fluctuations in humidity and temperature without requiring any electrical energy. To our knowledge, it represents the first architectural-scale application of 4D-printing technology.
BioBuild is a DFG-funded Research Training Group connecting livMatS at the University of Freiburg and the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart.
For more information: