Digital Fabrication - Silk Pavilion - Case Study

The Silk Pavilion explores the relationship between digital and biological fibre-based fabrication on an architectural scale. Its primary structure is comprised of 26 silk-threaded polygonal panels laid down by a CNC (Computerised Numerical Control) machine. Inspired by the silkworm’s ability to generate a 3D cocoon out of a single multi-property silk filament, the Pavilion’s overall geometry was created using an algorithm that assigns a single continuous thread across patches, providing functional density gradients informed by environmental constraints such as light and heat.

Fibre-based Construction

Digital fabrication processes, such as layered manufacturing, typically involve the layered deposition of materials with constant homogeneous physical properties. Yet most natural and biological materials are made of fibrous structures locally aligned and spatially organised to optimize structural and environmental performance. In the fields of product and architectural design, specifically, the automotive and avionic industries, fibre-based digital fabrication has typically been confined to the development and application of high-performance composites. These materials and their related processes are typically toxic and harmful to the environment. Based on previous research and inspired by the Bombyx mori silkworm, this research explores the possibility of merging digital and biological fabrication to deliver a holistic and sustainable design approach in the production of non-woven fibre-based constructions.

The pavilion was designed and constructed in two phases: the first phase consisted of digitally fabricating a scaffolding envelope made of silk fibres and the second phase consisted of deploying thousands of silkworms to spin a secondary silk envelope. A set of apertures built into the initial envelope capture light and heat, thus controlling the distribution of silkworms on the structure.

Parallel to the digital fabrication of the primary structure, 6500 silkworms were raised through the remainder of their fifth instar feeding on a diet of mulberry leaves prior to the silk spinning phase.

Reference:

Chapter Title: SILK PAVILION: A CASE STUDY IN FIBRE-BASED DIGITAL FABRICATION

Chapter Author(s): NERI OXMAN, JARED LAUCKS, MARKUS KAYSER, JORGE DURO-ROYO and CARLOS GONZALES URIBE