Advances in Biomaterial Design: Employing Rattan Canes for Modular Lightweight Structures

This research explores strategies into utilizing rattan canes with sustainable architectural practices, integrating computational design with advanced robotic fabrication techniques to navigate the complexities of employing biomaterials in construction. By devising a methodological framework that correlates generative design, material computation, and large-scale prototyping, the research aims to advance the application of rattan—a renewable, flexible, and durable biomaterial—towards the realization of lightweight, bending-active, and stable spatial enclosures. This objective has been investigated through a combination of structural, geometrical, morphological, and material-based principles towards the design and production of a 1:1 scale working prototype. By systematically integrating rattan's mechanical properties, generative form-finding and simulation methods, and finite element analysis (FEA), the research aims to incorporate the architectural potential of rattan canes with the theoretical insights and practical experimentation derived from bending-active structures. Further, the employment of robotic fabrication techniques aims to emphasize the feasibility of adapting traditional fabrication processes to contemporary computational design and manufacturing paradigms. In conclusion, this research not only highlights the potential of rattan canes for the creation of lightweight, bending-active structures but also opens new avenues for future investigations into biomaterials, particularly in exploring their application in large-scale structures and their integration with emerging design and fabrication technologies.