In a recent interview with Material Times, our research associate Rebeca Duque Estrada discusses her work on flax fibers and material-driven architecture as part of the ICD Fiber Team. The conversation addresses a central question in contemporary construction: how can bio-based materials evolve from secondary applications into high-performance structural systems that meaningfully reduce the construction sector’s carbon footprint? Through computational design, structural simulation, and robotic fabrication, the work embeds material behavior directly into the design process to develop structurally efficient systems that reduce material use while advancing a new material tectonics in architecture.
Drawing on projects such as Maison Fibre, the Hybrid Flax Pavilion, and the ITECH Research Pavilion 2024, the interview demonstrates how natural fibers like flax can be integrated into scalable building systems that combine structural performance with resource efficiency and renewable material strategies. Rebeca also discusses the transition from synthetic to natural fibers and the technical and cultural shifts required to work with variable bio-based materials in highly controlled digital fabrication environments.
Her ongoing doctoral research focuses on developing a computational framework for fibrous architecture that integrates design tools with life cycle assessment data from the earliest design stages. By embedding environmental performance directly into the design logic and further investigating timber-fiber hybrid systems, the work aims to expand the role of bio-based materials in ecologically informed construction.
Special thanks to Klára Jirková and the Material Time team for the invitation.
Read the full interview on Material Times: