3D Weave - Digital Craft
This summer intensive explored the theme of lightness in the context of building envelopes. This group project explored the potential of material systems and its ability to create a sense of enclosure. These explorations were done through digital processes and built and tested through fabrication and traditional methods. The team was given the task of exploring traditional methods such as weaving and to combine it with contemporary digital tools to create new outcomes used as a potential facade textile.
The team’s main objective of exploring three directional weaving was to explore its potential in creating a freestanding envelop and spaces for people to explore. The technique would also create diversity in the design through density of the weave to control the amount of exposure to the sunlight, rain and wind.
The exploration of the three directional weaving revealed that non of the two layers are interconnected. The weave behaves as one structure only when the third layer is weaved through the previous two. As a result three layers must be used all the time or two layers had to be fixed to each other in different locations. Having three various layers also gave the project the opportunity to explore the results of scaling, distortion and thickening selected elements.
The three dimensional weave is based on a hexagonal grid. This grid forms the middle layer of the weave and acts as a platform for connecting the upper layer and the lower layer of the weave to each other. The upper layer connects to hexagonal grid at odd rows, while the lower grid is connected at even rows.
As it can be seen from the results of the subject’s exploration on the next page, the team was able to create different outcomes using materials such as paper, polypropylene and bamboo. By doing so the team achieved outcomes which performed as freestanding textile and allow for significant amount of control over the textile’s behavior.
