A new “bioinspired” pavilion is opening in Germany thanks to some help from robotic hands.
The livMatS Pavilion has been successfully installed in the botanical garden on the campus of the University of Freiburg thanks to a cross-university team of engineers, architects, and biologists. The building is the first of its kind using a load-bearing structure that is entirely made of robotically-wound flax fiber.
Participants from both the University of Freiburg and the University of Stuttgart combined on the demonstration piece that showcases the material’s ductile capabilities in a spindly geometric form that simultaneously evokes both latticework and natural structures like cactus tissue and spiderwebs.
The pavilion’s prefabricated flax fiber truss was wrapped in a waterproof skin and wound together using a robotic process designed by the University of Stuttgart’s Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (or IntCDC). Working together with the new technology, both teams were able to parlay a decade of research into the 1.5-ton load-bearing structure comprised of 15 different coreless filament components. Researchers pointed to the material’s lightweight efficiency and low embodied energy as potential drivers of sustainability.
Per the architect: “The pre-defined component shape emerges only through the interaction of the fibers within the winding frame, eliminating the need for any additional mold or core. In addition, this fabrication method does not produce any waste or offcuts. Moreover, the same modular winding frame can be used for all geometrically varying elements. This leads to an excellent material efficiency when measured against conventional building materials and results in a high load-bearing capacity.”
The pavilion will be used as a teaching space for the university until it is taken down in 2026. A full gallery of the project’s images can be viewed below.
2 Comments
They're halfway there. While flax is biodegradable, the waterproof covering is not.
"The livMatS pavilion is covered with a waterproof polycarbonate skin"
https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/livMatS-Pavilion/
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