Architextiles refers to a broad range of projects and approaches that combine

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s, and materials science. Architextiles explore textile-based approaches and inspirations for creating structures, spaces, surfaces, and textures. Architextiles contribute to the creation of adaptable, interactive, and process-oriented spaces.

Awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a li ...

is the most basic type of architectural textile. Hylozoic Ground, on the other hand, is a modern and complex architextile example. Hylozoic Ground is an

interactive Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but ...

architecture model presented in the 18th Biennale of Sydney.

Olympiastadion Olympiastadion is the German, Finnish and Swedish word for Olympic Stadium and may refer to: * Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics (though mostly referred as simply ''Stockholms Stadion'') * Olympiastadion (Berlin), the ...

is another example of modern architecture presented in an unusual way.

Etymology

Architextiles is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words 'Technology' and 'Textiles' both are derivation of a Latin language word that means 'construct' or 'weave'.Textiles is also among derivative words of the Ancestor of the Indo-European language word "tek" which is the root to architecture.

Architecture and textiles

Architectural textiles

Architextiles is the

that is inspired by characteristics, elements, and manufacturing techniques of textiles. It is a field that spans multiple disciplines. It is a combination of textile and architectural manufacturing techniques.

Laser cutting Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to vaporize materials, resulting in a cut edge. While typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, it is now used by schools, small businesses, architecture, and hobbyists. Laser cutt ...

ultrasonic welding Ultrasonic welding is an industrial process whereby high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to work pieces being held together under pressure to create a solid-state weld. It is commonly used for plastics and metals, an ...

thermoplastic A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling. Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains associate ...

setting,

pultrusion Pultrusion is a continuous process for manufacture of fibre-reinforced plastics with constant cross-section. The term is a portmanteau word, combining "pull" and "extrusion". As opposed to extrusion, which pushes the material, pultrusion pulls the ...

electrospinning Electrospinning is a fiber production method that uses electric force to draw charged threads of polymer solutions or polymer melts up to fiber diameters in the order of some hundred nanometers. Electrospinning shares characteristics of both ele ...

, and other advanced

textile manufacturing Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

techniques are all included in architextiles. Architextiles integrate various fields like architecture, textile design, engineering, physics and materials science.

Textile inspirations

Architextiles exploits the sculptural potential of textile-based structures. Textiles motivate architects with their numerous features, enabling them to express ideas via design and create environmentally conscious buildings. Textiles also influence architecture in the following ways:

Characteristics

Textiles are adaptable, lightweight, and useful for a variety of structures, both temporary and permanent. Tensile surfaces composed of structural fabrics, such as canopies, roofs, and other types of shelter, are included in architectural textiles. If necessary, the subjected materials are given special purpose finishes, such as

waterproofing Waterproofing is the process of making an object or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environme ...

, to make them suitable for outdoor use.

Coated fabrics

There is considerable use of coated materials in certain architectures,

Pneumatic structure An air-supported (or air-inflated) structure is any building that derives its structural integrity from the use of internal pressurized air to inflate a pliable material (i.e. structural fabric) envelope, so that air is the main support of the st ...

s are made of teflon or PVC-coated synthetic materials.

Coated A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. The purpose of applying the coating may be decorative, functional, or both. Coatings may be applied as liquids, gases or solids e.g. Powde ...

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, coated

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bott ...

and coated

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

are the most common materials used in lightweight structural textiles. Lightweight fabric constructions accounted for 13.2 square yards of total usage in 2006, according to Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Chemically inert,

Polytetrafluoroethylene Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemour ...

fibreglass coating is capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -100 °F (-73 °C) and as high as +450 °F (232 °C).

Interactive textiles

Textiles that can sense stimuli are known as interactive textiles. They have the capability to adapt or react to the environment. Felecia Davis has designed interactive textiles such as parametric tents that are able to change size and shape in response to changes in light and the number of people underneath.

3D structures

Soundproof 3D woven walls with a ribbed structure that are suitable for soundproofing and interior designing. Aleksandra Gaca designed the furnishing of the concept car Renault Symbioz with a 3D fabric named 'boko'.

= Origami-inspired textiles

= Textiles inspired by

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a fi ...

impart novel properties to architecture. Architects try out origami and three-dimensional fabric structures when designing structures.

History

Examples of architextiles have been found dating back a long way. Over centuries,

nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the pop ...

ic tribes in the Middle East, Africa, the Orient, and the Americas have developed textile structures.

Historical structures

Historical architextiles include

yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...

s and

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

s, the great awnings of Colosseum in Rome, the tents of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...

, and the Ziggurat Aquar Quf near

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

Present

Properties

Architextiles have a number of advantages; primarily, they are cost effective and can be used to construct temporary or transportable structures. The programming can be modified at any time.

Examples of architextiles

Muscle NSA

NSA Muscle, is a pressurized (Inflatable body) structure which is an interactive model. It is equipped with sensors and computing systems, the MUSCLE is programmed to respond to human visitors.

Carbon tower

The carbon tower is a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

building.

Hylozoic Ground

Hylozoic Ground is an exemplar of live architecture, interactive model of architecture which is a kind of architextiles.

Textile growth monument

Textile growth monument ‘textielgroeimonument’ is a 3D 'woven' structure in the city

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-lar ...

Pneumatrix

Pneumatrix, RCA Department of Architecture,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, a theatre which is deployable and flexible.

References

{{Reflist Textiles Architecture Buildings and structures by type