Robotically-Wound Flax Fibers for Sustainable Construction

In a joint project, German researchers from the universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart have designed a lightweight pavilion constructed from flax fibers woven by a robot. With this pavilion in the botanical garden of the University of Freiburg, the team is presenting

BY Realty Plus
Published - Wednesday, 11 Aug, 2021

Robotically-Wound Flax Fibers for Sustainable Construction

In a joint project, German researchers from the universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart have designed a lightweight pavilion constructed from flax fibers woven by a robot. With this pavilion in the botanical garden of the University of Freiburg, the team is presenting a model for a sustainable alternative to conventional construction methods. Unlike glass or carbon fibers, and a whole host of other natural fibers as well, flax fibers are regionally available and grow in annual harvest cycles. They are 100 percent renewable, biodegradable and as such, provide an excellent basis for the development of resource-saving alternatives in the construction industry. They have the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, especially when combined with efficient lightweight structures. For these reasons, the load-bearing elements of the so-called “livMatS pavilion” (Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials Systems) are made out of flax fibers. The researchers let themselves be guided by nature in the development of the pavilion. The saguaro cactus (Carnegia gigantea) and the prickly pear (Opuntia sp.) served as inspiration for the net-like layout of the natural fibers and the coreless winding of the components of the bionic pavilion. The researchers abstracted these network structures from the organic models and implemented them in the livMatS pavilion by ‘coreless winding’ of the natural fibers. This abstraction – plants are not familiar with winding or weaving processes – allowed the researchers to transfer the mechanical properties of the interwoven fiber structures to the lightweight supporting elements of the livMatS pavilion. “With respect to computer-based design, the work processes of robotized production and machine operation, natural fibers and their biological variability posed new challenges for us researchers,” says Prof. Achim Menges of the Institute for Computer-Based Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart.