KnitCandela

3000, Insurgentes, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico

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KnitCandela

3000, Insurgentes, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico

Firm

ETH Zurich, Block Research Group

Type

Cultural › Pavilion

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2018

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$10K - 50K

KnitCandela is a thin, sinuous concrete waffle shell. Built on an ultra-lightweight knitted formwork, which was brought from Switzerland to Mexico in two suitcases, KnitCandela demonstrates that employing a flexible cable-net formwork together with a knitted textile can cut down on material, labour, and construction waste, while simplifying and streamlining the construction process for sophisticated shapes in concrete. Realised with a state-of-the-art BIM approach using the computational framework COMPAS, the structural design, engineering, digital fabrication, and construction of KnitCandela were incredibly efficient. Its novel forming system allowed for a complex structural geometry requiring fewer materials, thus keeping project costs economical.

Short credits: Block Research Group, ETH Zurich (BRG), Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group (ZHCODE), Architecture Extrapolated (R-Ex)
Full credits link: http://block.arch.ethz.ch/brg/project/knit-candela-muac-mexico-city
Photo credits: Mariana Popescu, Lex Reiter, Philippe Block, Angelica Ibarra, Maria Verhulst

Credits:
- Block Research Group, ETH Zurich (BRG)
- Zaha Hadid Computation and Design Group (ZHCODE)
- Architecture Extrapolated (R-EX)