Advanced 3D Textile Applications for the Building Envelope

Abstract

Within the field of textile construction, textiles are traditionally used either as decorative elements in interior design or as flat textiles in tensile-stressed lightweight constructions (roofs, temporary buildings, etc.). Technical textiles made of glass or carbon fibers are now also used as steel substitutes in concrete construction. There, flat textiles are also used as lost formwork or shaping semi-finished products. Applications for 3D textiles and in particular spacer textiles have so far only been investigated as part of multilayer constructions in combination with other elements. Otherwise, there are no studies for their application potential in the roof and wall areas of buildings and as a starting structure for opaque and translucent components. The two research projects presented here, "ReFaTex" (adjustable spacer fabrics for solar shading devices) and "ge3TEX" (warp-knitted, woven and foamed spacer fabrics) illustrate for one thing the possibilities for using 3D textiles for the construction of movable and translucently variable solar protection elements in the building envelope. Otherwise they show how 3D textiles in combination with foamed materials can be transformed into opaque, lightweight, self-supporting and insulated wall and ceiling components in the building envelope. Both projects are designed experimentally and iteratively. The results are compared in a qualifying manner, the aim being not to quantify individual measured variables but to explore the development potential of textile construction for sustainable future components and to realize the first demonstrators. In the ReFaTex project, 1:1 demonstrators with different movement mechanisms for controlling the incidence of light were realized. In the ge3TEX project, 1:1 demonstrators made of three different textile and foam materials were added to form new single-origin composite components for ceiling elements. Both projects show the great application potential for 3D textiles in the construction industry.

3D Textiles Based on Warp Knitted Fabrics: A Review

“… Warp knitted spacer fabric combined with a 3D-printed object for lightweight building components [ 81 ]. …”

A conceptual design of circular adaptive façade module for reuse

“…Biodegradable materials are becoming more and more popular in several industries, they offer lower energy consumption compared to other materials. A good example of biodegradable materials in construction is using fabrics in architectural buildings 41,42 . Depending on the indoor environment functions, the natural indirect lighting can improve the workspace quality and users' productivity.…”

Weaving Octopus: An Assembly–Disassembly-Adaptable Customized Textile Hybrid Prototype

“…Lightweight temporary constructions offer potential solutions through innovative recyclable materials, bioengineering principles, and advancements in manufacturing technology, promising more sustainable construction methods [1][2][3][4][5]. The integration of digital modeling and simulation tools in the architectural and engineering domains has significantly enhanced design and analysis capabilities, leading to cost reduction, shorter construction times, and improved building performance and sustainability [5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…In temporary constructions, textiles offer several advantages, including lightweight properties, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness [9][10][11]. Moreover, textiles hold immense potential for optimizing lightweight, structural, and non-structural applications, including canopies, pavilions, and facade elements [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Notably, projects like CITA's Hybrid Tower, Isoropia, have further expanded computational methods, scale, and structural innovation, bringing prototypes into the realm of large-scale manufacturing and real-world certification [15][16][17].…”