Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A base station may transmit control signaling including a beam shaping configuration to a channel engineering device. The channel engineering device may apply the beam shaping configuration during a time period in which the base station is communicating with a user equipment (UE). The beam shaping configuration may include one or more parameters that modify one or more deflection settings at the channel engineering device to adjust an electronic metamaterial of the channel engineering device to focus received signal energy, reflect received signal energy, refract received signal energy, filter received signal energy, or any combination thereof. The base station and one or more UEs may communicate using the channel engineering device based on the beam shaping configuration.