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Living Weaves – Steps Towards the Persistent Modelling of Bio-Hybrid Architectural Systems

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Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel, speculative design approach for a bio-hybrid architectural system. The Living Weaves system seeks to harness the material accumulation capacity of climbing plants and steer this growth into an interlaced configuration with a diagrid scaffold to produce a structural Kagome weave. The concept is described through a speculative design proposal, and its feasibility is investigated in two ways; the development of an autonomous steering system to achieve interlacing of living plants with a diagrid scaffold, and an analytical design method for determining structurally advantageous plant growth routes in target geometries. Together, these two investigations represent steps towards a persistent modelling approach, which, we argue, is essential for exploiting the novel characteristics of living bio-hybrid architectures.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the project flora robotica – FET grant agreement no. 640959.

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Correspondence to Phil Ayres .

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Ayres, P., Buchwald, E.F., Gatz, S., Bornaz, S. (2020). Living Weaves – Steps Towards the Persistent Modelling of Bio-Hybrid Architectural Systems. In: Gengnagel, C., Baverel, O., Burry, J., Ramsgaard Thomsen, M., Weinzierl, S. (eds) Impact: Design With All Senses. DMSB 2019. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29829-6_35

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29829-6_35

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29828-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29829-6

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