Computational knit–design and fabrication systems for textile structures with customised and graded CNC knitted fabrics

In this paper, we are presenting a design to fabrication system, which allows to produce efficiently and highly automated customised knitted textile elements for architectural application on industrial computer-controlled knitting machines (Computer Numerical Control (CNC) knitting machines). These textile elements can, in this way, be individual in both geometry, detailing and material behaviour. This work extends recent work on CNC knitted tensile members and presents a set of innovations in design and manufacturing, which together allow to build structural systems, in which highly individualised membrane members allow a structure to take on multiple structural states. Underlying these innovations is a shift from the focus on geometry and homogeneity in material and behaviour, expressed in current state-of-the-art membrane structures and materials. Instead our research lays the foundation for a new class of membrane materials with varying bespoke local material properties. In this paper we present the underlying digital tools and processes for design, analysis and manufacturing of these hyper specified textile membranes. We showcase and evaluate the potentials of Computational Knit for novel structural membrane systems through the large-scale installation Isoropia designed and built for the Danish Pavilion in the 2018 Venice Architectural Biennale.