Hinged Connections – Multilayered Mechanisms

Actuating mechanisms to fabricate spatial configurations is a widely used strategy for a material efficient fabrication. Multilayering offers in this context the extension of the design space by generating a spatial depth in actuated configuration. Additional layers can either be applied to one or multiple limited regions on a sheet of material or cover an entire area. The amount of layers is limited by the actuation method in combination with fabrication method. In this course we will explore textile assembly methods, namely stitching or sewing, in combination with bendable and foldable material to develop new mechanisms that can be scaled towards architectural applications. Different multilayering strategies will be developed and investigated. In a second step strategies for scalability and assembly will be developed in physical and digital models.