Fibrous Morphologies

Abstract

Living organisms have evolved effective structural solutions in response to the inherent constraints of their respective environments through a process of morphological adaptation. Given the fact that the majority of natural load bearing materials are fibrous composites, the authors suggest the analysis of appropriate biological role models as a promising strategy for informing the application of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in architecture. In this paper the authors present a biomimetic design methodology for seamless large-scale FRP structures involving the analysis of the exoskeletons of Arthropoda with regards to structural performance criteria, the development of a custom robotic filament winding process, and the translation of biological and fabricational principles into the architectural domain through physical prototyping and the development of custom digital tools. The resulting performative material system is evaluated in a full-scale research pavilion.