This article was first published in the June 2016 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
They may look like spiders' webs, but the inspiration for architect Achim Menges' composite-fibre constructions is more insect than arachnid.
"We copied the intricate micro-structure of the elytron, an extremely lightweight shell that protects the wings of flying beetles," explains the 40-year-old founding director of the University of Stuttgart's Institute for Computational Design. "These are made from continuous composite fibres, twisted into a double-layered structure."
This bio-composite fibre, called chitin, is also found in lobsters' exoskeletons, another inspiration for Menges' work. "Their claws are very stiff while their tails are very flexible, but it's all made of the same material," he explains. As well as being light and workable, this technique has another advantage: "We use a robotic process, with an incremental build-up of free-standing fibres, so we don't need a mould."
From May 18 to November 6, Menges's robots will weave a 200m2 pavilion in the courtyard of London's V&A Museum. "Four sensors will monitor the behaviour of the people inside the courtyard and the structure will adapt to that," explains Menges.
Menges's methods reflect his belief that looking to the natural world for inspiration has more fundamental benefits than mere process improvement. "Nature behaves in a very counter-intuitive way to how we would solve problems as architects," he explains. "It forces us to question really deeply held principles of construction."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
