Unitary weaving: a rapid design-build strategy for temporary buildings

Abstract

The global demand for temporary structures is increasing in the wake of epidemics and wars. The need to build such structures in a prompt, effortless, and inexpensive manner has become a major focus of research. This paper addresses these issues through the use of weaving, an economical and historical construction technique, to achieve the time-cost and economic benefits of temporary construction required in the current environment. Innovative research on unitary and discrete structures was undertaken with the help of computer languages to explore the creation of such discrete structures using two methods: part-to-whole and whole-to-part. Typical design solutions were then selected for physical construction verification and structural optimisation to ensure feasibility and safety. This research attempts to define a complete workflow for this approach, package the relevant knowledge and processes into a digital method, and present them in a practical woven construction in order to fulfil the current demand for the timely and economic construction of temporary buildings.

Keywords

• woven
• discrete
• unit composition
• temporary buildings
• digitization