Yet another decades-old science fiction trope has made it off the page and into the real world – architects are starting to design ‘responsive structures’, buildings that will sense their environment and adjust to it. Imagine buildings that can brace themselves for an earthquake or high winds, that can adjust their shape and surfaces in response to different temperatures and levels of sunlight, or adjust their interiors to accomodate fluctuating numbers of occupants at any given time. Innovations of this type could contribute greatly to the conservation of energy resources by eliminating the need for air conditioning.