Adaptive kinematic textile architecture

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ORIGINAL PAPER

Adaptive kinematic textile architecture Maria Wyller1   · Maria Yablonina1 · Martin Alvarez1 · Achim Menges1  Received: 24 May 2020 / Accepted: 29 October 2020 © The Author(s) 2020

Abstract The research presented in this paper explores how textiles can be formed into adaptive, kinematic spaces to be able to respond to its environment and users utilizing on-site, distributed, mobile robotic connectors. The project aimed at creating an adaptive system that consumes little energy while making use of textiles’ advantageous qualities—their lightweight, portability, and manipulability. This was achieved through the development of a bespoke on-material mobile machine able to locomote on suspended sheets of fabrics while shaping them. Together, the connector and the tectonic system compose a lightweight architectural robot controlled with a feedback loop that evaluates real-time environmental sensor data from the space against user-defined targets. This research demonstrates how the combination of mobile robotics and textile architecture opens up new design possibilities for adaptive spaces by proposing a system that is able to generate a significant architectural effect with minimal mechanical actuation. Keywords  Architectural robotics · Mobile robots · Adaptive architecture · Textile architecture · Kinematic architecture

1 Introduction Adaptive architecture reacts to its environment, its inhabitants, or objects contained within it (Schnädelbach 2010). A common motivation for designing adaptive structures is to save resources. However, many systems fall in the paradox of using a lot of it, both through production and maintenance. Adaptive architecture often relies on numerous actuators, expensive computing, and continuous power supply to operate, usually due to the structural load applied to the mechanical elements. The presented research aims to form textiles into adaptive, kinematic spaces able to respond to its environment using distributed, on-site, on-material, mobile robotic connectors. Together, the material and the connectors comprise a lightweight, energy-efficient system capable of producing a significant architectural change with minimal mechanical actuation. This research hopes to contribute to Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (https​://doi.org/10.1007/s4169​3-020-00046​-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Maria Wyller [email protected] 1



Institute of Computational Design, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

the search for adaptive systems that consume less while providing a great spatial impact (Fig. 1). A common objective of adaptive systems is to alter spatial parameters such as light, acoustics, temperature, and space division (Schnädelbach 2010). Textile’s inherent material qualities allow them to influence all these factors just by being present (Bendixen 2010; Quinn 2006). They are wellsuited for adaptation because they can have a significant reversible impact on space through quick manipul