Pleated fabric canopy tops a floating church

December 6, 2017  |  Out There

The Diocese of London has commissioned architecture studio Denizen Works to design an unusual means of reaching church-goers: a floating church. The studio will collaborate with Turks boat builders to construct a canal boat church, meeting parishioners and neighbors where they are along the waterway…
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Researchers create an energy-harvesting bio-battery

November 20, 2017  |  Out There

Researchers at Imperial College London have created a two-in-one solar bio-battery and solar panel by printing living cyanobacteria and circuitry onto paper. The photosynthetic microorganisms have been used as ink and printed onto conductive material. The resulting experiment was able to harvest th…
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New loom promises make-at-home textiles

November 8, 2017  |  Out There

“Doti” desktop loom may add scale to cottage industry weaving. The Dot-Matrix Fabric Printer, nicknamed “Doti,” is an open-source, desktop jacquard loom designed for textile production at home. Pamela Liou is developing Doti as a project resident at Eyebeam, a nonprofit studio for collaborat…
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Saving money by 3D printing at home examined

November 7, 2017  |  Out There

Michigan Tech researchers set out to determine if the average U.S. home could save money by using a desktop 3D printer versus buying products from online retailers. An article by Beau Jackson at 3D Printing Industry outlines the findings. The researchers used NinjaFlex filament in an upgraded FlexyS…
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Carbon fiber roof appears to float

October 23, 2017  |  Out There

A lens-shaped carbon fiber roof weighing 80.7 tons seems to float above the lobby of the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif. The project was a partnership between international architecture and design firm Foster and Partners, headquartered in London, and Apple Inc. The lobby is re…
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Architectural exhibit is an ultra-thin, self-supporting structure

September 25, 2017  |  Out There

Architect and artist Marc Fornes has created “minima | maxima,” a site-specific installation made of ultra-thin powdered aluminum in composite layers. Not exactly “fabric,” but the TED Fellow’s concept in construction mimics the behavior of fabric, but with a structural strength that almos…
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Floating Cloud is also a lamp

September 6, 2017  |  Out There

Floating Cloud, a magnetically levitating ambient lamp, merges the levitation technology developed by Dutch company Crealev with the form and function of the Cloud product of Richard Clarkson Studio LLC, Brooklyn, N.Y. The result of the collaborative project is a lamp, constructed of PETG (Polyethy…
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Jewelry functions as little robots

August 21, 2017  |  Out There

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab are investigating how accessories can be made into mobile, adaptable “assistants.” According to the Media Lab, “Kino” is a collection of jewelry engineered with the functionality of miniature robots that can wander acr…
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Fabric-wrapped structure surrounds award-winning “mediateque”

August 7, 2017  |  Out There

A few years ago, the city of Tbilisi in Georgia announced a competition to build “mediatheque” in several spots of the city. The first completed project was in Vake Park, which has now been nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2017. The entire building is surrounded by a fabric-wrapped stru…
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Museum of Modern Art features digitally knit solar installation

July 24, 2017  |  Out There

A digitally knit structure, installed within the courtyard of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), was the winner of MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program. The annual initiative tasks creatives with designing a temporary outdoor installation that provides shade, seating and water. “Lumen,” by…
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