MATERIALS THAT REDEFINE OUR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Jun 5th, 2009
In a notable departure from petroleum-based textiles, Ingeo derives its fiber from corn, an annually renewable resource. Bacterial fermentation is used to convert corn from a starch to a sugar and then to polylactic acid, which in turn is processed like most thermoplastics into fiber. Ingeo is a closed loop sustainable product: the natural origins [...]
May 17th, 2009
Flextegrity utilizes digital geometric modeling to create structural geotextiles and dimensional meshes at a variety of scales. Interlocking polyhedral shapes are constructed with polymers, metals, or other materials. The geometries employed are naturally superior in structural compression, and the individual modules are suspended and secured within an anisotropic, multiaxial web that resists omnidirectional forces. Applied [...]
Apr 27th, 2009
CocoBlock is a solid surface material made entirely of coconut palm that has been specially engineered to reveal its naturally fibrous end grain within a geometric pattern of bonded strips. Developed for horizontal surfacing applications by Smith and Fong, this material is available as an unfinished slab and is ideal for both commercial and residential [...]
Apr 5th, 2009
Artist Alyce Santoro invented Sonic Fabric after being inspired by Tibetan prayer flags inscribed with wind-activated blessings as well as by the use of small strands of cassette tape as wind indicators, or “tell tails,” on sailboats. Sonic Fabric is constructed from 49 percent recycled audio tape that carries specially prerecorded audio information.
Sonic Fabric is [...]