INNOVATIVE BIOLOGICAL DESIGN IS BEAUTIFUL NOW

Two beautiful London Design Festival 2016 installations, Forests, by Asif Khan, and Elytra Fillament Pavillion, by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, and Thomas Auer, incorporate biology, organic materials, and biomimicry. Check them out below.

ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILION -- ACHIM MENGES & MORITZ DöRSTELMANN

A building that makes itself!

Check out the Elytra Filament Pavilion, a commissioned installation by experimental architect Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann, structural engineer Jan Knippers, and climate engineer Thomas Auer, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, launched as part of the London Design Festival 2016.

This design experiment explores the impact of emerging robotic technologies on architectural design, engineering and building. It’s the culmination of 4 years of research, conducted by architects & engineers at University of Stuttgart.

The team investigated biomimicry and how biological fiber systems can be used for architecture.

Inspired by the forewing shells of flying beetles, known as elytra, the pavilion is constructed out of lightweight glass & carbon fibers which are wound together by a robot arm.

The 200-square-meter structure is currently made up of 40 hexagonal component cells, each weighing an average of 45 kilograms. These cells were produced over a 4-month period in the lab, then assembled on site at the V & A John Madejski Garden.

But just as biological structures do, Elytra will grow and change in configuration over the course of time, in response to anonymous data captured by real-time sensors which measure how visitors use and move under the canopy.

Visitors are able to see the pavilion evolve in real time as the installed Kuka robot produces new components as driven by the data.

Learn more about the project here.

Elytra Filament Pavilion is on view at the John Madejski Garden of the V&A Museum through 9 October 2016.

FORESTS -- ASIF KHAN

As more people crowd into urban areas, as living and work spaces grow smaller and more precious, we find a growing need for small ways in which we can change our immediate environments.

Another thing we need more of is opportunity to connect with nature.

Designer Asif Khan partnered with MINI to create a 3-part installation at London Design Festival 2016, which offers an innovative solution to to both sets of needs.

Entitled “Forests,” the installation consists of 3 plant-filled structures, named Connect, Create, and Relax, each at its own site in the Shoreditch neighborhood of London.

Forests is part of a larger MINI Living project, organized by the car company to explore the future of urban living.

Connect is designed to promote socializing. Create is designed to offer a flexible workspace. Relax is dedicated to relaxation.

Each of 3 structures is made from layers of corrugated plastic sheeting. The walls are embedded with LEDs which illuminate the space at night, giving off a soft glow.

The structures are filled with live green plants to both offer contrast and respite from urban physical, emotional, and spiritual pressures.

Read more about Beautiful Design in The Kinetic Art & Design Of Time Now. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
2. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
3. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
4. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
5. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
6. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
7. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum. “Elytra Fillament Pavilion,” designed by Achim Menges, Moritz Dörstelmann, Jan Knippers, & Thomas Auer.
8. Image: Courtesy of London Design Festival. “Forests,” designed by Asif Khan. Shoreditch, London. UK.
9. Image: Courtesy of London Design Festival. “Forests,” designed by Asif Khan. Shoreditch, London. UK.
10. Image: Courtesy of London Design Festival. “Forests,” designed by Asif Khan. Shoreditch, London. UK.
11. Image: Courtesy of London Design Festival. “Forests,” designed by Asif Khan. Shoreditch, London. UK.
12. Image: Courtesy of London Design Festival. “Forests,” designed by Asif Khan. Shoreditch, London. UK.