Unsteady Matter
Investigating Water-Based Design Pathways and 3D Printing Techniques for Hydrogel Composites
Architectural design conventionally operates within or creates seemingly static and permanent conditions. The two-week project developed by Tairan Li (MoA Young International Fellow 2022) and Daniel Suárez, led by Bastian Beyer, in the context of the project Weaving, aimed to interrogate these conditions through a series of experiments with hydrogels. This group of materials mainly consists of water held together by three-dimensional polymer chains. Compared to inert materials, hydrogels are in constant dynamic exchange with their surrounding environment. Their water content can vary according to external conditions. They shrink substantially when dried and expand in humid environments and, therefore, can be understood as latent buffer materials with ever-changing properties. Furthermore, this volume change can induce strong forces which lead to curling or buckling of the material during the drying process.
Their properties make them interesting materials to work within the context of biology or tissue engineering, where water uptake is a crucial factor. At the same time, these characteristics make them a challenging material for fabrication.
The materials used in the project were biogenic alginate and chitosan. Our approach aimed to develop a parametric design pipeline from design to material to robotic fabrication. In this context, the project tried to address the conflict between the precision of digital fabrication and material behavior. Rather than operating within a cartesian set of absolute coordinates the specific materials called for gradients and zones. To mediate between control and activity, we embedded rib-like wood structures to generate areas for structural connectivity.
The final piece is inspired by dorsal sections of fish where skeletal pieces, muscle and cartilage form a highly flexible yet strong structural entity.