Air+

Design studio winter semester 2023 / 2024

Air is everywhere! Enclosed in a shell and pressurised, it can be flexible and resilient at the same time. The shape and nature of the envelope, the variation in pressure and the arrangement of different elements make an almost infinite variety possible. Whether as airbags, lifting bags or ETFE façades, pneumatic systems have become an integral part of our everyday lives. For the semester, we want to design a flexible exhibition pavilion for our faculty. The high degree of freedom of form and the materials used in pneumatic constructions offer the opportunity for an innovative exterior and interior effect and a unique atmosphere. By minimising the use of materials, the pavilion should be as light as possible and easy to transport in order to extend the radius of action. In addition, pneumatic structures ensure rapid assembly and dismantling and thus enable a quick change of location. Especially in temporary architecture, spaces built "out of air" can thus realise their previously underestimated potential. To utilise the advantages of such a construction without restrictions, we will be researching complementary elements that together form an efficient system. The concepts developed will be tested using large-scale model simulations. We will produce and test these together in the IBK2's FutureMaterialLab in Filderstadt.

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