Fibrous Architecture

Research Area

The fibre research area investigates novel methods and processes related to the design, engineering and fabrication of large-scale fibre composite structures aiming for new digital building systems. One particular focus is a novel process called coreless filament winding, which is based on the process of formation of free-spanning fibres without relying on a mould. It significantly reduces material expenditure through load-adapted fibre arrangements and covers a wide range of material systems, from carbon and glass fibre composites to experimental natural fibres and bio resins.

Related Research Tools

ABM Framework

Selected Publications

  1. 2023

    1. Yang, X., Lehrecke, A., Tucker, C., Estrada, R. D., Maierhofer, M., & Menges, A. (2023). Spatial Lacing: A Novel Composite Material System for Fibrous Networks. In C. Gengnagel, O. Baverel, G. Betti, M. Popescu, M. R. Thomsen, & J. Wurm (Eds.), Towards Radical Regeneration (pp. 556--568). Springer International Publishing.

  2. 2022

    1. Tucker, C., Yang, X., Lehrecke, A., Maierhofer, M., Duque Estrada, R., & Menges, A. (2022). A Collaborative Multi-robot Platform for the Distributed Fabrication of Three-dimensional Fibrous Networks (Spatial Lacing). Proceedings of the 7th Annual ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3559400.3561995
    2. Gil Pérez, M., Zechmeister, C., Kannenberg, F., Mindermann, P., Balangé, L., Guo, Y., Hügle, S., Gienger, A., Forster, D., Bischoff, M., Tarín, C., Middendorf, P., Schwieger, V., Gresser, G. T., Menges, A., & Knippers, J. (2022). Computational co-design framework for coreless wound fibre-polymer composite structures. Journal of Computational Design and Engineering, 9(2), 310--329. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcde/qwab081

  3. 2021

    1. Dambrosio, N., Zechmeister, N., Duque Estrada, R., Kannenberg, F., Gil Pérez, M., Schlopschnat, C., Rinderspacher, K., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2021). Design and development of an FRP-Timber hybrid building system for multi-story applications in architecture: Maison Fibre. In B. Farahi, B. Bogosian, J. Scott, J. L. García del Castillo y López, K. Dörfler, J. A. Grant, S. Parascho, & V. A. A. Noel (Eds.), Realignments: Toward Critical Computation - ACADIA 2021.
    2. Bodea, S., Zechmeister, C., Dambrosio, N., Dörstelmann, M., & Menges, A. (2021). Robotic coreless filament winding for hyperboloid tubular composite components in construction. Automation in Construction, 126, 103649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103649
    3. Mindermann, P., Bodea, S., Menges, A., & Gresser, G. T. (2021). Development of an Impregnation End-Effector with Fiber Tension Monitoring for Robotic Coreless Filament Winding. Processes, 9(5), 806. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr905080
    4. Wagner, H. J., Garufi, D., Schwinn, T., Wood, D. M., & Menges, A. (2021). Three-Dimensional Fibre Placement in Wood for connections and reinforcements in timber structures. In S. A. Behnejad, G. A. R. Parke, & O. A. Samavati (Eds.), Proceedings of the IASS Annual Symposium 2020/21 and the 7th International Conference on Spatial Structures. IASS.

  4. 2020

    1. Bodea, S., Dambrosio, N., Zechmeister, C., Gil-Perez, M., Koslowski, V., Rongen, B., Doerstelmann, M., Kyjanek, O., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2020). BUGA Fibre Pavilion: Towards Robotically-Fabricated Composite Building Structures. Fabricate 2020: Making Resilient Architecture, 234--243.
    2. Duque Estrada, R., Kannenberg, F., Wagner, H. J., Yablonina, M., & Menges, A. (2020). Spatial Winding: Cooperative Heterogeneous Multi-Robot System for Fibrous Structures. Construction Robotics, 4(3–4), 205–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41693-020-00036-7
    3. Gil Pérez, M., Rongen, B., Koslowski, V., & Knippers, J. (2020). Structural design, optimization and detailing of the BUGA fibre pavilion. International Journal of Space Structures, 35(4), 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956059920961778

  5. 2019

    1. Dambrosio, N., Zechmeister, C., Bodea, S., Koslowski, V., Gil-Perez, M., Rongen, B., Knippers, J., & Menges, A. (2019). Towards an architectural application of novel fiber composite building systems – The BUGA Fibre Pavilion. In K. Bieg, D. Briscoe, & C. Odom (Eds.), ACADIA – Ubiquity and Autonomy - Proceedings of the 39th ACADIA Conference 2019.
    2. Gil-Perez, M., Dambrosio, N., Rongen, B., Menges, A., & Knippers, J. (2019). Structural optimization of coreless filament wound components connection system through orientation of anchor points in the winding frames. Proceedings of the IASS Annual Symposium 2019 – Structural Membranes 2019 Form and Force, 1381--1388.
    3. Zechmeister, C., Bodea, S., Dambrosio, N., & Menges, A. (2019). Design for Long-Span Core-Less Wound, Structural Composite Building Elements. Impact: Design With All Senses Proceedings of the Design Modelling Symposium 2019, 401--415. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29829-6 32

  6. 2017

    1. Prado, M., Doerstelmann, M., Solly, J., Menges, A., & Knippers, J. (2017). Elytra Filament Pavilion: Robotic Filament Winding for Structural Composite Building Systems. Rethinking Design and Construction - Proceedings of the Fabricate Conference 2017, 224--233.

  7. 2015

    1. Knippers, J., La Magna, R., Menges, A., Reichert, S., Schwinn, T., & Waimer, F. (2015). ICD/ITKE research pavilion 2012 : coreless filament winding on the morphological principles of an arthropod exoskeleton. Architectural Design, 85(5), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.1953
    2. Menges, A., & Knippers, J. (2015). Fibrous tectonics. Architectural Design, 85(5), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/ad.1952

Contact

This image shows Christoph Zechmeister

Christoph Zechmeister

Dipl.-Ing., MAS ETH AI

Research Group Leader | Computational Fibre Architecture

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