Weekly Update: Project Clean Up Newsletter - Vol. 1, Issue 69

Date: October 16, 2026

The Dynamic Facade: Electrochromic Smart Glass and the End of Blinds

Welcome back to the Project Clean Up (PCU) weekly newsletter! Over the past two weeks in our Smart & Responsive Materials series, we explored synthetic muscles (LCEs) and shape-shifting metals (Nitinol). We have successfully engineered the bones and tendons of our autonomous future.

Today, we look at the skin.

For thousands of years, a window has had one job: let light in while keeping the weather out. But in modern urban architecture, the glass skyscraper is essentially a giant greenhouse. The sun beats down on the glass, heating the interior, which forces building managers to run massive, energy-devouring HVAC air-conditioning systems to keep the tenants from baking. We fight the sun with electricity.

What if the glass itself could fight back? What if the building could "squint" when the sun got too bright? This week, we explore Electrochromic Smart Glass—windows that dynamically tint on command, acting as solid-state thermal valves.