Performative Architectural Morphology: Robotically manufactured biomimetic finger-joined plate structures

Abstract

Performative Architectural Morphology is a notion derived from the term Functional Morphology in biology and describes the capacity of an architectural material system to adapt morphologically to specific internal constraints and external influences and forces. The paper presents a research project that investigates the possibilities and limitations of informing a robotically manufactured finger-joint system with principles derived from biological plate structures, such as sea urchins and sand dollars. Initially, the material system and robotic manufacturing advances are being introduced. Consequently, a performative catalogue is presented, that analyses both the biological system’s basic principles, the respective translation into a more informed manufacturing logic and the consequent architectural implications. The paper concludes to show how this biologically informed material system serves to more specifically respond to a given building environment.