{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T11:57:22Z","timestamp":1769083042897,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)","issue":"110","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2027,1,21]],"date-time":"2027-01-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1800489600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":365,"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/page\/science-licenses-journal-article-reuse"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CMMI-2240407"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CMMI-2240407"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100021154","name":"Amazon Research Awards","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100021154","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"CreativeX"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.science.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sci. Robot."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Living architectures, such as beehives and ant bridges, adapt continuously to their environments through self-organization of swarming agents. In contrast, most human-made architecture remains static, unable to respond to changing climates or occupant needs. Despite advances in biomimicry within architecture, architectural systems still lack the self-organizing dynamics found in natural swarms. In this work, we introduce the concept of architectural swarms: systems that integrate swarm intelligence and robotics into modular architectural fa\u00e7ades to enable responsiveness to environmental conditions and human preferences. We present the Swarm Garden, a proof of concept composed of robotic modules called SGbots. Each SGbot features buckling-sheet actuation, sensing, computation, and wireless communication. SGbots can be networked into reconfigurable spatial systems that exhibit collective behavior, forming a testbed for exploring architectural swarm applications. We demonstrate two application case studies. The first explores adaptive shading using self-organization, where SGbots respond to sunlight using a swarm controller based on opinion dynamics. In a 16-SGbot deployment on an office window, the system adapted effectively to sunlight, showing robustness to sensor failures and different climates. Simulations demonstrated scalability and tunability in larger spaces. The second study explores creative expression in interior design, with 36 SGbots responding to human interaction during a public exhibition, including a live dance performance mediated by a wearable device. Results show that the system was engaging and visually compelling, with 96% positive attendee sentiments. The Swarm Garden exemplifies how architectural swarms can transform the built environment, enabling \u201cliving-like\u201d architecture for functional and creative applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T18:59:03Z","timestamp":1769021943000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Architectural swarms for responsive fa\u00e7ades and creative expression"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1049-7877","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Merihan","family":"Alhafnawi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-6902-0747","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jad","family":"Bendarkawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]},{"given":"Yenet","family":"Tafesse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]},{"given":"Lucia","family":"Stein-Montalvo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA."}]},{"given":"Azariah","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of African American Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]},{"given":"Vicky","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA."}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4918-0079","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sigrid","family":"Adriaenssens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9756-0167","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Radhika","family":"Nagpal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."},{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA."}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","unstructured":"S. Camazine J.-L. Deneubourg N. R. Franks J. Sneyd G. Theraulaz E. Bonabeau Self-Organization in Biological Systems (Princeton Univ. Press 2003)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1088\/1361-665X\/aa640f"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jeb.143818"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11721-012-0075-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/en7085201"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Hemberg U.-M. O\u2019Reilly A. Menges K. Jonas M. da Costa Gon\u00e7alves S. R. Fuchs in Genr8: Architects\u2019 Experience with an Emergent Design Tool (Springer 2008) pp. 167\u2013188.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-72877-1_8"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10710-007-9025-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jobe.2023.106274"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apenergy.2016.02.141"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rsif.2019.0238"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.47481\/jscmt.1348260"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rsos.180296"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su16135697"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17508975.2019.1577213"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2022.112850"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/en15155390"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jobe.2023.108227"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2024.114474"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1061\/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000323"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.energy.2020.119557"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202000636"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s43586-024-00313-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mtener.2021.100874"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-54808-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_26_2","first-page":"96","article-title":"Smart geometries for smart materials: Taming thermobimetals to behave","volume":"70","author":"Sung D.","year":"2016","unstructured":"D. Sung, Smart geometries for smart materials: Taming thermobimetals to behave. J. Archit. Educ. 70, 96\u2013106 (2016).","journal-title":"J. Archit. Educ."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/JPROC.2021.3072740"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/scirobotics.aau8479"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/MCS.2014.2320359"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s41693-020-00041-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1245842"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.robot.2020.103467"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/LRA.2025.3577423"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/MRA.2016.2636372"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. Ozgur S. Lemaignan W. Johal M. Beltran M. Briod L. Pereyre F. Mondada P. Dillenbourg \u201cCellulo: Versatile handheld robots for education \u201d in Proceedings of the 2017 ACM\/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction HRI \u201817 (Association for Computing Machinery 2017) pp. 119\u2013127.","DOI":"10.1145\/2909824.3020247"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Alhafnawi S. Hauert P. O\u2019Dowd \u201cRobotic canvas: Interactive painting onto robot swarms \u201d in Proceedings of the ALIFE 2020: The 2020 Conference on Artificial Life (MIT Press 2020) pp. 163\u2013170.","DOI":"10.1162\/isal_a_00285"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/frobt.2020.580415"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"N. Correll N. Farrow S. Ma \u201cHoneyComb: A platform for computational robotic materials \u201d in Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction TEI \u201813 (Association for Computing Machinery 2013) pp. 419\u2013422.","DOI":"10.1145\/2460625.2460718"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Alhafnawi E. R. Hunt S. Lemaignan P. O\u2019Dowd S. Hauert \u201cMOSAIX: A swarm of robot tiles for social human-swarm interaction \u201d in 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (IEEE 2022) pp. 6882\u20136888.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICRA46639.2022.9811723"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Le Goc L. H. Kim A. Parsaei J.-D. Fekete P. Dragicevic S. Follmer \u201cZooids: Building blocks for swarm user interfaces \u201d in Proceedings of the 29th Annual Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology UIST \u201816 (Association for Computing Machinery 2016) pp. 97\u2013109.","DOI":"10.1145\/2984511.2984547"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"F. Meggers D. Aviv V. Charpentier E. Teitelbaum A. Ainslie S. Adriaenssens \u201cCo-optimization of solar tracking for shading and photovoltaic energy conversion \u201d in Proceedings of Building Simulation 2017: 15th Conference of IBPSA vol. 15 of Building Simulation C. S. Barnaby M. Wetter Eds. [IBPSA (International Building Performance Simulation Association) 2017] pp. 2224\u20132231.","DOI":"10.26868\/25222708.2017.605"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0231554"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fbuil.2023.1267757"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_44_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.buildenv.2021.107859"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_45_2","unstructured":"P. Zumthor \u201cAtmospheres: Architectural environments. surrounding objects \u201d in Atmospheres (Birkh\u00e4user 2006)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"R. Scruton The Aesthetics of Architecture (Princeton Univ. Press 2021).","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctv21r3q1d"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_47_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-control-060923-100542"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"L. B. Rossell\u00f3 M. Alkilabi E. Tuci H. Bersini A. Reina \u201cEmergent orchestras: A modular framework for musical robot swarms \u201d in Proceedings of the ALIFE 2020: The 2020 Conference on Artificial Life (MIT Press 2024) pp. 29\u201337.","DOI":"10.1162\/isal_a_00746"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_49_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3323213"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevE.108.035002"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_51_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevE.110.035002"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_52_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-control-090523-100059"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TCNS.2018.2796301"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. Bizyaeva A. Franci N. E. Leonard \u201cSustained oscillations in multi-topic belief dynamics over signed networks \u201d in 2023 American Control Conference (ACC) (IEEE 2023) pp. 4296\u20134301.","DOI":"10.23919\/ACC55779.2023.10155909"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"S. Wilcox W. Marion Users manual for TMY3 data sets (revised) (No. NREL\/TP-581-43156 National Renewable Energy Lab 2008).","DOI":"10.2172\/928611"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_56_2","unstructured":"J. Mardaljevic M. Andersen N. Roy J. Christoffersen \u201cDaylighting metrics: Is there a relation between useful daylight illuminance and daylight glare probability?\u201d in Proceedings of the Building Simulation and Optimization Conference BSO12 (IBPSA 2012) pp. 189\u2013196."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_57_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"M. Salimi Swarm Systems in Art and Architecture: State of the Art (Springer Nature 2021).","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-16-4357-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_58_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1103\/RevModPhys.79.643"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_59_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jweia.2024.105667"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_60_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2020.06.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_61_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1609\/icwsm.v8i1.14550"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_62_2","unstructured":"J. Devlin M.-W. Chang K. Lee K. Toutanova \u201cBERT: Pre-training of deep bidirectional transformers for language understanding \u201d in Proceedings of the 2019 Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies Volume 1 (Long and Short Papers) J. Burstein C. Doran T. Solorio Eds. (Association for Computational Linguistics 2019) pp. 4171\u20134186."}],"container-title":["Science Robotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T18:59:05Z","timestamp":1769021945000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"references-count":61,"journal-issue":{"issue":"110","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/scirobotics.ady7233","relation":{},"ISSN":["2470-9476"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2470-9476","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-05-08","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-12-17","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-01-21","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"eady7233"}}