Investigation of smart materials within the scope of interior and furniture design

Smart materials are materials that can perceive and react at least one stimulus around it thanks to their natural properties, can be reverted when the stimulus disappears and can repeat the stimulus-response relationship continuously. Although the general definition, properties and classifications of these materials have been made, it has been observed that its difference in high performance and new types materials that have emerged in design and architecture and its place in the concept of 'smart' has not been yet fully understood and mixed. In order to overcome this complexity about smart materials, a two-step research was conducted in the thesis. In the first step, the difference between smart materials from other other types of high performance materials used in design and architecture, their place in the concept of smart and in the adaptive architecture were questioned by comparison method. In addition; the properties, classification, application methods and problems of smart materials were examined. In the second step, within the scope of interior and furniture design, the application method, usage purpose and usage area of smart materials have been examined by creating identity cards and analysis tables. As a result, it has been determined that smart materials affect interactive architecture by interacting and communicating with our senses of vision and touch, adaptive architecture in terms of responding to the change in the environment in which it is located, sustainable architecture by providing user comfort and energy efficiency. Smart materials are used as a composite material by adding them to traditional materials in different usage form. In addition, they are also used directly or inside the device, such as LED. While these materials are applied in the interior and furniture design for the purpose of communicating and interacting with the user or the environment, it has been observed that they are also used for functional purposes in order to reduce air pollution in the interior, control the indoor temperature, provide privacy, reduce daylight control and cleaning costs.