LO 3 – Computational Fabrication

The Silk Pavilion is an incredible sculpture that combines the biological and technological world together. The silkworm’s ability to generate 3D cocoons out of silk and the digital fabrication of geometric architectural shapes were seamlessly blended to create a sturdy, yet light structure. MIT Media Lab started with a CNC machine that created an underlying structure that will hold each section of the silk and ultimately guide the silkworms.The group believes in the power of a single material as a system to enable strength and tension. There is an intersection between technology and biology which digital fabrication technologies can explore. In this case, the silkworms build and destroy parts of the nest for it to become a stronger material. They used computational techniques to model the natural processes of growth. This theme is allowing growth to happen naturally as seen in their computational design, by allowing the machine to determine which patterns would be most durable.