Kinetic Loom: Textile Craft Laboratory
Reciprocal Spatial Truss & Variable Solar Louver Envelope
INTRODUCTION
Investigating tectonic honesty where joinery, load transfer, and structural articulation become the primary architectural ornament. The pavilion houses master weavers conducting public demonstrations of camel-hair and silk weaving.
SITE & CONTEXT
Located in an open industrial precinct characterized by utilitarian sheds. The project acts as a sculptural beacon asserting the cultural dignity of manual textile production.
CONCEPT
The Warp and Weft. Translating two-dimensional textile crossing into a reciprocal three-dimensional space frame that needs no internal column supports across a 24-meter clear span.
PROCESS
Physical testing of scaled brass solder wire joints under load, accompanied by parametric algorithmic balancing in Karamba3D for load distribution.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
High-strength steel hollow circular sections pinned together with custom CNC milled node couplings. Secondary tension cables support pivoting cedar wood solar baffle louvers.
FINAL DESIGN
A dynamic, breathing canopy that casts shifting shadow tapestries across polished terrazzo floors, echoing the intricate geometric logic of handmade Dari carpets.
REFLECTION
Discovering the threshold where craft meets precision engineering was a turning point in my architectural education.
Supplementary Architectural Drawings
Reciprocal Structural Node Detail & Stress Vectors
1:5 Mill-finish CNC steel connection with dual-axis articulation pins
Kinetic Louver Spatial Perspective
Atmospheric light study rendering showing afternoon sun slicing through cedar fins