As designers, we are enamored with beauty. Combining that beauty with advanced technology is mesmerizing. We recently viewed a collaboration between Zaha Hadid Architects and ETH Zurich called the KnitCandela. To create the KnitCandela, the first step in the KnitCrete process is to knit over two miles of yarn into four strips. The fabric was produced in just 36 hours with the digital fabrication technique, and was packed in suitcases and flown from Switzerland to Mexico. This colorful and visually striking concrete structure was produced with a newly developed 3D-knitted textile technology called KnitCrete. This technique is used to create curving concrete structures; effectively eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming molds. The architects claim that the system is easily portable, and streamlines the manufacturing process for complex double-curved concrete shapes. Take a look at this video. You will be equally as fascinated as we are. Guaranteed.
