Abstract |
The purpose of this comprehensive chart was to compile the possible categories, relationships, and qualities of ancient basket weaving techniques as they relate to bending active structures and textile weaving. Bending-active structures are structural systems that include curved beam or shell elements that base their geometry on the elastic deformation from an initially straight or planar configuration. These weaving attributes are then studied for their viability for the application of coconut coir fiber textile growing systems. The chart begins with an ancient weaving pattern either from Japanese or Native American descent and creates connections to current day projects that use similar techniques. From these ancient practices, we discovered new ways of deploying geometry, form, surface, and connection for possible coconut coir hydroponic growing textiles. The chart summarizes the similarities and attributes for the projects within each category or typology. The chart concludes with the hybridization of material assemblies and effects found within the outstanding basket weaving and joinery system potentials. The investigation of this study evolved from the involvement in a research project, BeTA Pavilion, that explored the formal opportunities of biotensegrity using bent fiber reinforced plastic rods and CNC knit textiles in a bending-active system. The global geometry of the structure was inspired by human anatomy and animal vertebrae typologies to reach structural equilibrium with a bandwidth of dynamic motion. The characteristics of pre-stressed and self-stabilizing modules prompted the investigation of basket-weaving techniques and their possible applications in architectural tectonics and hydroponic textile creation. The CNC knit textile for this project led to the next step in the study of creating a hydroponic textile to span between the tetrahedron vertebrae to deploy a lightweight growing system.
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