Laboratory for Visionary Architecture on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) is an international think tank set up in 2007 with a focus on research and design. Its stated goal is to reposition architecture at the forefront of cultural, technological and social change. It maintains offices in, Stuttgart, 
LAVA takes their inspiration from nature, using the principle of
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
, Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, Literal translation, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi Arabic, Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyad ...
, and Sydney. The group has three directors, Tobias Wallisser is based in Berlin, Alexander Rieck is based in Stuttgart while Chris Bosse
Chris Bosse is a German-born architect, resident in Sydney in Australia. He was a designer of the Beijing National Aquatics Centre, which was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Life
Chris Bosse was born on 30 September 1971 in Stuttgart t ...
is based in Sydney.
LAVA takes their inspiration from nature, using the principle of biomimetics
Biomimetics or biomimicry is the emulation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" are derived from grc, βίος (''bios''), life, and μίμησ ...
. LAVA projects such as Tower Skin, Snowflake Tower and Bionic Tower feature intelligent systems and skins that respond to air pressure, temperature, humidity, solar-radiation and pollution. LAVA uses computation to simulate this natural behaviour of growth and adaptation of species.
Projects include master plans for universities; installations such as the lycra Green Void and the set for the 2009