Stereotomic Fiber Architecture: Textile Architecture and Parametric Fibrous Structures

Parametric structures in composite material, such as fiber glass and carbon fiber with bicomponent epoxy resin, are usually constructed through the “robotic coreless filament winding” technique, which consist of weaving each fiber element according to a specific numerical parametric definition. This paper illustrates various designs of pavilions in composite materials and discusses architectural implications of using this technology in terms of tectonics and space generated. The topic of research for this paper is the analysis and the description of fiber pavilion designed using the methods of computational design and digital fabrication of spaces and structures. The aim of this research project is to blend textile technology with the stereotomic knowledge of stone construction to parametric design and digital fabrication in order to prototype shell-like structure. One of these is a tree-shaped structure with the stem and the crown which are joined together; or a fiber arch made by triangular blocks. They are a starter point of new structural projects for covered spaces. New construction technology and typology to design new structural shapes are the two goals to demonstrate in lithic and stereotomic field, to transform them into complex but light structures. The next stop of the research will be building a fiber tripod pavilion.