The Living Fibers
MAA/MRAC, Studio Term 2, 2025/2026 Group 1: Brooklyn Edsall, Elias El asmar, Leonard elias Böker, Nikolaos Kalaitzidis, Nisanth Anil Menon
Abstract:
This project challenges the hyper-standardization of modern construction by investigating the architectural potential of raw, locally sourced Catalan wool. Our research elevates wool from a passive insulation material into an active, rigid, and self supporting component suitable for ecological building refurbishments.
Our methodology bridges vernacular textile crafts such as wet-felting, knitting, and yarn tensioning with advanced digital fabrication. To achieve this, we developed a custom robotic end-effector for an six axis robotic arm, capable of performing dry needle-felting. Through rigorous empirical testing, we mapped the relationship between robotic parameters (tool path speed, RPM, and penetration depth) and the resulting material behavior.
We discovered that by locally controlling fiber entanglement, we could generate programmed density maps that force the material to crease, fold, and hold structural tension without the need for synthetic binders.These findings culminated in three distinct structural typologies:
Linked Panels: Modular, varying-density surfaces that interlock to form continuous wall or ceiling partitions.
Permanent Formwork: Soft, tensioned wool structures that serve as a breathable, moisture-regulating base for rigid bio-composites.
Deployable Tension Structures: Lightweight systems utilizing continuous yarns and densified nodes to operate purely in tension.
When applied to the refurbishment of the IAAC Poble Nou warehouse, these systems offer a radical alternative to synthetic materials like fiberglass. Beyond their structural viability, these elements provide superior acoustic dampening and passive humidity regulation. Ultimately, this research demonstrates a scalable, circular design language where natural material intelligence directly informs robotic fabrication, resulting in an architecture that is adaptable, biodegradable, and fundamentally rooted in its local ecology.
