ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2016–17

At the exhibition to March 20, 2019

The ICD/ITKE have completed a new research pavilion that explores building-scale fabrication of glass and carbon fiber-reinforced composites. The novel process is based on the unique properties and characteristics of fiber construction. Because these materials are lightweight and have a high tensile strength, a radically different approach to fabrication becomes possible that combines low payload yet long-range machines, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), with industrial robots with a strong, precise, yet limited reach.

The »Research Pavilion 2016–17« was created by laying combined a total of 184 km of resin-impregnated glass and carbon fiber. The lightweight material system was used to create and test a single, long-spanning cantilever with an overall length of 12 meters as an extreme structural scenario. The surface area is around 40 m² and weighs roughly 1,000 kilograms.

This research showcases the potential of computational design and construction through incorporating structural capacities, material behavior, fabrication logics, biological principles, and architectural design constraints into integrative computational design and construction.

ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction (Prof. Achim Menges), ITKE Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (Prof. Jan Knippers), University of Stuttgart