Textination Newsline

Set against the vast and surreal backdrop of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, Burning Man is an annual gathering that transforms the flat, barren expanse into a vibrant playground for artistic and creative expression. Here, "Burners" come to both witness and contribute to the ephemeral Black Rock City, which participants build anew each year. With its myriad art installations and performances, Black Rock City is a temporary home for creative minds from around the world.

This year among the large-scale art stood the Living Knitwork Pavilion, an unusual architectural piece crafted from knitted textiles and a lattice network of wood. Developed and built by a team of researchers from the MIT Media Lab and MIT School of Architecture and Planning, and led by PhD student Irmandy Wicaksono, the installation received a 2023 Black Rock City Honorarium. For the team, it was a highly challenging and fulfilling project, full of learning and surprises. Seeing it emerge and illuminate in the middle of the desert was truly magical.

In the Living Knitwork Pavilion, 12 modular fabric panels, known as Knitwork petals, are connected through a central tower. The whole installation stood as a dodecagonal pyramid shade structure, 18 feet tall and 26 feet wide, resembling a teepee. The fabrics were developed using digital machine knitting and a collection of functional and common yarns, including photochromic, luminous, and conductive yarns. Taking inspiration from the intricacy of textile patterns and temple carvings of Indonesia, Wicaksono leveraged the tension between knitted polyester and spandex yarns to create textural textile patterns or reliefs. The fusion of parametric and hand-designed motifs transforms the "Living Knitwork" into a narrative artwork, reflecting both a reverence for ancient artistry and a vision of the future. These reliefs, full of symbols and illustrations, depict 12 stories of the future — from solarpunk cities and bio-machine interfaces to the deep ocean and space exploration.

Burning Man and the Black Rock Desert are famed for their climbing enthusiasts and intense winds. Given that strong winds can make the fabrics behave like sails, exerting significant force, the team designed a structure capable of supporting the weight of many climbers, and withstanding wind speeds of up to 70 mph.

The finalized central structure of the pavilion consists of an asymptotic lattice network of lumber and joint elements, optimized for structural integrity while minimizing material use. The knitwork petals, integrated with double-knit structure and mesh openings, and thermoformed through melting yarns, maintain structural stability. Tailored channels for ropes and cables were also incorporated into the knitting design, ensuring each fabric and electrical component is securely anchored and protected, without compromising visual elegance. Facing winds that reached 36 mph this year, the Living Knitwork Pavilion remained steadfast throughout the Burning Man event, demonstrating its resilience in extreme desert conditions.

In support of Burning Man's push for more sustainable art, the Living Knitwork Pavilion utilized additive manufacturing of digital knitting. This method allowed for the creation of custom multi-layer textiles that are both aesthetic and functional, all while minimizing raw material use and waste. The team incorporated recycled materials in their fabrics, with 60 percent of the yarns coming from recycled plastic bottles. The pavilion also runs entirely on battery power and solar cells. The team worked together with the Solar Library, a sculptural solar panel that distributes energy to other arts on the playa, to eliminate generators and noise while promoting the use of renewable energy sources.

By day, the Living Knitwork Pavilion served as a shade structure, while providing a communal space for meditation and discovery. As the sun shifts through the day, hidden-encrypted textile patterns and visual experience are revealed through photochromism and luminescent glow. As dusk descended upon the desert, the pavilion underwent a metamorphosis, illuminating its surroundings through an immersive lighting and audio system. Through a distributed network of antennas embedded within the central structure and each knitwork petal, the team’s ultimate goal was to create an intimate experience that allows individual and collective movement and activity to influence the overall ambience of the space, involving sound and illumination.

Throughout Burning Man, the pavilion also hosted pop-up events, from yoga sessions, dance performances, live music, and even a wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, in the last two days of the event, a heavy rainstorm hit the Black Rock Desert — a rarity for the event. Yet, this climatic twist worked in favor of the pavilion, helping cleanse its textile surface from the accumulated dust and reviving its vivid blue color.

The result of this grand project is a collaboration that transcends disciplinary boundaries. The research team aims to exemplify the remarkable possibilities that arise when architecture, technology, and textile arts converge and bring communities together.

The interdisciplinary group behind the Living Knitwork Pavilion includes researchers from across the Media Lab, the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, and the Department of Architecture: Irmandy Wicaksono, Sam Chin, Alfonso Parra Rubio, Nicole Bakker, Erik Strand, Gabriela Advincula, Manaswi Mishra, Age van der Mei, Judyta Cichoka, Tongge Yu, and Angelica Zhang.

3D printing has been in use in architecture for a while, and now it is to become ecologically sustainable as well: Together with partners, the LZH is researching how to produce individual building elements from natural fibers using additive manufacturing.

In the project 3DNaturDruck, architectural components such as facade elements shall be created from natural fiber-reinforced biopolymers in 3D printing. To this end, the scientists will develop the corresponding composite materials from biopolymers with both natural short fibers and natural continuous fibers and optimize them for processing with the additive manufacturing process FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). The project partners' goal is to enable smart and innovative designs that are both ecological and sustainable.
 
The goal: highly developed components made from sustainable materials
Within the project, different natural fiber-reinforced biopolymer composites will be investigated. The partners are researching both processing methods with very short natural fibers, such as from wood and straw, and a method for printing continuous fibers from hemp and flax in combination with biopolymers. The LZH then develops processes for these new materials and adapts the tools and nozzle geometries of the FDM printer. A pavilion with the 3D-printed facade elements is planned as a demonstrator on the campus of the University of Stuttgart.
 
The project partners want to explore how additive manufacturing can be used to simplify manufacturing processes for architectural components. Natural fiber-reinforced biopolymers are particularly suitable for producing components with complex geometries in just a few steps and with low material and cost requirements. With their research, the partners are also working on completely new starting conditions for the fabrication of newly developed architectural components: For example, the topology optimization of components according to their structural stress can be easily implemented with additive manufacturing.

Enabling the natural fiber trend in architecture also using additive manufacturing
There is great interest in the use of natural fibers in structural components in architecture and construction because natural fibers have several advantages. They have good mechanical properties combined with low weight and are widely available. As a renewable resource with in some cases very short renewal cycles, they are also clearly a better ecological alternative than synthetic fibers.

In additive manufacturing, large-format elements for the architectural sector have so far mostly been manufactured with polymers based on fossil raw materials. Research in the project 3DNaturDruck should now make the use of natural fibers in architecture possible for additive manufacturing as well.

About 3DNaturDruck
The project 3DNaturDruck is about the design and fabrication of 3D-printed components made of biocomposites using filaments with continuous and short natural fibers.

The project is coordinated by the Department of Biobased Materials and Materials Cycles in Architecture (BioMat) at the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart. In addition to the LZH, project partners include the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI) and the industrial companies Rapid Prototyping Technologie GmbH (Gifhorn), ETS Extrusionstechnik (Mücheln), 3dk.berlin (Berlin) and ATMAT Sp. Z o.o. (Krakow, Poland).

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. under the funding code 2220NR295C.

From 25 to 29 October, at ORGATEC in Cologne, 665 companies from 40 countries will be presenting the current trends in the world of work of the future. Long gone are the days when just desks, filing systems etc. were presented at the leading international trade fair for the modern world of work. Nowadays, it is much more to do with work culture, work processes and work environments. With its wide spectrum of products and concepts from international exhibitors, plus an excellent programme of events, ORGATEC 2016 is once again set to act as a think tank for the international office furniture industry. Topics to be addressed at the fair, which is expected to attract around 50,000 trade visitors from all over the world, will be new ideas on the current trends of team working, digitalisation, holistic interiors and the attractiveness of the workplace. The following is an overview of what is on offer in the supporting programme.
In high-calibre congresses and forums, trade visitors from all over the world can find out about current trends and discuss pressing issues of theory and practice.

ZEIT Work & Style conference
The Work & Style conference, a premium congress format hosted by the renowned German weekly newspaper "DIE ZEIT" will launch this year's ORGATEC and address both sociopolitical and aesthetic questions, in particular the following issues: what role does work play in the identity of the upcoming generation? How will work, life and lifestyle interact? What is it that makes an employer attractive? Which approaches to work will be successful in the future?
26 October 2016, from 10:00 a.m., Congress Centre

ORGATEC  Trend Forum
At the Trend Forum hosted by Hajo Schumacher, creativity and design will be the focus of discussion: with numerous exciting talks on the various different aspects of office design and work culture by distinguished speakers from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the Fraunhofer Institute, among others. On the very first day of the trade fair, it's already all about "Working differently and better!" This is where Bernd Fels, co-founder of if5, will be presenting trends, facts, ideas and examples for the journey into the world of work 4.0. The talk by AECOM, entitled "See further, go further - transformational change" will provide an in-depth exploration of the new challenges facing the world of work in the future and what new approaches global companies are adopting. And trend consultant Brigitte Gebhard will delve into the subject of creative learning environments under the banner of the "New Work Order".
25.-28. Oktober 2016, Halle 6, Stand B 029    

workplace congress
The trade journals "Der Facility Manager" and "industrieBAU" are hosting the second workplace congress at ORGATEC in Cologne. The congress, like its first edition, will focus on all aspects of the challenges posed by the office, in particular how to provide functioning, motivating workplaces. Practical concepts and solutions for office workplaces will be presented. Acclaimed speakers from research, teaching and practice will explore topics such as space and room planning, lighting, acoustics, air conditioning and ergonomics, and discuss current trends and their experiences, gathered over the course of many years in the field. The event is recognised by the Chamber of Construction Engineers of North Rhine-Westphalia as an advanced training course with six time units of 45 minutes each.
27 October 2016, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Offenbachsaal 

SEO Day
Presented for the first time at ORGATEC 2016: the SEO Day is an annual industry meeting of the search machine optimisation scene. Around 800 experts are expected to attend, with more than 40 German-speaking industry experts on hand, holding numerous talks and sharing the latest tips and tricks in the area of search engine optimisation, Google and co.
27 October 2016, Konrad-Adenauer-Saal, Congress Centre North

Speakers' Corner
Following a successful premiere in 2014, exhibitors at ORGATEC will this year once again have the opportunity to present themselves as well as new products and services to a broad trade audience and answer questions directly on site. In half-hour-long presentations, speakers will introduce trends, innovations and methods from their particular field of expertise (daily between 11.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m).
25 through 28 October 2016,11:00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Hall 11.2, Stand J 002

Alongside the congresses and the forum, ORGATEC 2016 also offers numerous special events that offer trade visitors real added value. The offering ranges from the presentation of innovative materials, through Scandinavian design for indoors and outside, to the current trend of co-working spaces.

"RE/WORK - Moments of Inspiration by Ippolito Fleitz Group"
The competence centre "RE/WORK - Moments of Inspiration by Ippolito Fleitz Group" is an inspiring staging that traces valuable moments of inspiration, combines analogue and digital experiences, enabling a fresh view on the world of work from new perspectives. It shows, in a creative and humorous way, what the office of the future might have to look like in order to address changing requirements. The workplace is no longer bound to a particular space, but rather to moments: moments of networking through the perfect integration of technology, moments of well-being, of inspiration, of lifelong, playful experimentation. The competence centre takes ten examples of these moments and brings them to life in three dimensions. The Competence Centre takes ten examples of these moments and brings them to life in three dimensions.
Daily, Hall 11.2, Stand E 031/ F 030

The influence of design on co-working spaces can be seen by visitors to ORGATEC at the special event "The smart working space", in which the "smart co-working lobby" model showcases a module that will be at the core of the modern office block and that enables the co-working philosophy to be adopted in existing buildings. Using this approach, the trend towards co-working can be embraced relatively quickly and economically. The model will be presented in the form of a fully functioning prototype at ORGATEC. The curator of this specially designed area is Michael O. Schmutzer who, as Managing Director of Design Offices, has turned the idea of "New Work" into a remarkable success story. "The Smart Co-working Lobby" was developed in cooperation with the prestigious interior design office, brandherm + krumrey interior architecture (b-k-i), based in Cologne and Hamburg.
Daily, Hall 9, Stand B 010

Innovation of Interior
In Hall 8, the experts from Haute Innovation will be demonstrating the potential offered for modern working environments by the latest innovations in materials. They will be presenting about new sources of raw materials for manufacturers and planners, sketching out scenarios for the deployment of intelligent materials in the context of the smart office or smart home and outlining the opportunities for additive manufacturing in the furniture industry.
Daily, Hall 8, Stand B 010

Design meets movement
Creative design will be lined up for the visitors in the Passage between Halls 10 and 11. In the special exhibition Design meets Movement, leading European designers will present smart solutions from Scandinavia that go beyond working indoors and act instead as an interface to the outside world - a multifunctional installation for outdoor working.
Daily, Passage 10/11

ORGATEC Boulevard - Creativity Works
Exceptional design will also be on display on the Boulevard. This is where Koelnmesse, in cooperation with the German association for the office and working environment (IBA / Industrieverband Büro und Arbeitswelt e.V.) will be presenting various projects on the topic of "Creativity Works". For instance, the magazine FRAME will be staging a captivating exhibition of forward-looking workplace design in collaboration with young creative professionals. The magazine "100 working SPACES" will be presenting 100 current and innovative workplaces and office concepts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the best and most amazing projects from the rest of the world. And, presenting the results of their research project, students of design at the University of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf (HSD / Hochschule Düsseldorf) will be showing an ingenious fusion of fashion, workspace, performance and identity.
Daily, Boulevard

ORGATEC, with its 50,000 trade visitors from all over the world, has also traditionally been the appropriate place for the awarding of important honours. This is also the case in 2016.

Prize ceremony for the "Büro & Umwelt" ("Office & Environment") competition 
Sustainable behaviours in everyday office life and attention to environmental requirements in the procurement of office equipment are extremely important for our environment. The German Association for Environmental Management, B.A.U.M e.V. (Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für Umweltbewusstes Management) aims to draw attention to this with the "Büro & Umwelt" competition. At the heart of the competition is the sustainable handling of resources in everyday office life, as well as the awareness of environmental concerns when procuring office equipment.
25 October 2016, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Trend Forum stage, Hall 6, Stand B 029

"Architektur + Office" Innovation Prize
The 9th Architecture + Office Innovation Prize will be awarded by AIT and xia during ORGATEC 2016. Designers and manufacturers will submit their products to the critical judgment of renowned architects. The aim of the award is to underline the importance of quality in architecture in the office interiors sector. Products on the market that are particularly effective in addressing the concerns of the target group will be awarded a prize. All of the submitted products will be displayed in a special exhibition at ORGATEC 2016 in Cologne.
25. October 2016, Hall 10.1, Stand E 011

Time is money. The same is true for the trade visitors to ORGATEC 2016. In order to get a comprehensive overview of the important new developments and trends on show, guided tours around the trade fair are available.

Guided tours around the fair by the Mensch&Büro-Akademie (People&Office Academy)
The Mensch&Büro-Akademie (MBA) and PRIMA VIER Publishing Frank Nehring (P4) will be offering two guided tours around ORGATEC 2016, based on the topics of "Health & Ergonomics" and "Design & Innovation", both taking place twice daily on 26, 27 and 28 October 2016.
Meeting point: Hall 7, Stand B 073

Guided tours for architects organised by Bauverlag
Actively promote dialogue between architects, interior designers, lighting planners and exhibitors - with this aim in mind, Bauverlag publishers is offering guided tours on four trade fair days to selected trade fair highlights at ORGATEC. The "Bauverlag architects' tours" around the trade fair will be conducted by editors from the magazines "Bauwelt" (Building World) and "DBZ" (Deutsche Bauzeitschrift/German Building Magazine). In the approx. 2 ½ hour tour around 10 important exhibitors will be visited. You will be met by competent representatives at the stands, who will demonstrate their new products and systems specifically from the viewpoint of the architect.
25 through 28 October 2016, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., setting off from: Passage 3/11, Stand P 001  
 
SIX-TO-NINE Party
What could be better than bringing the exhibition day to a relaxed close? On the first day of the fair, nothing could be easier - the ORGATEC Boulevard is the perfect setting for the legendary ORGATEC SIX-TO-NINE party. On the evening of the first day of the fair, all exhibitors, visitors and journalists are invited to this industry meeting to engage in lively conversations and exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere.
25 October 2016, 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., ORGATEC Boulevard