[Skin is] the first line of defense for the body. … Our building skins should be more similar to human skin.

Doris Kim Sung is an architect and researcher known for developing “Thermo-bimetal” building envelopes—metal skins that passively curl or open in response to heat, helping regulate ventilation and solar gain without motors or electronics. The quote reflects her biomimetic framing of architecture: she compares a building’s exterior envelope to human skin as a responsive boundary that protects the body while dynamically managing heat exchange. Sung has discussed these ideas in talks and interviews about adaptive façades and climate-responsive design, often using the language of “skin” to argue that buildings should behave less like static shells and more like living systems that modulate comfort and energy use.

Sung’s point is that “skin” is not merely a covering; it is an active interface that senses and regulates. Human skin protects, breathes, and adjusts—sweating, constricting, or expanding to maintain internal stability. By analogy, she argues that building envelopes should be designed as responsive systems that adapt to environmental conditions (heat, sun, airflow) rather than relying primarily on mechanical HVAC to correct for a rigid façade. The significance is both ecological and conceptual: it promotes passive, low-energy performance while reframing architecture as an organism-like mediator between interior life and exterior climate.