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The FREI OTTO 100 – The Spirit of Lightweight Construction celebration program took place under one of the most iconic tensile structures in architectural history, in the pavilion that Frei Otto chose as a manifesto for a different approach to the ecosystem and design.
In 1964, Frei Otto founded the "Third Stuttgart School" at the University of Stuttgart with the Institute for Lightweight Structures (IL). Students from all over the world gathered under the tent that he and his colleagues designed as a preliminary prototype for the German Pavilion at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal.
Awarded the Pritzker Prize posthumously, Otto’s intellectual legacy continues to inspire technical and design frontiers as well as the responsibility inherent in this approach.
The ILEK has remained faithful to this legacy in its continued pursuit of lightweight construction principles, at present exploring the limits and possibilities that efficient construction offers in terms of resources, multi-material synthesis, construction, and analytical thinking.
The building that hosted the celebrations, known as the "Tent," continues to fascinate with its historical models and furnishings as well as its experimental objects from recent decades. As such, nothing could be more fitting for the centenary of Frei Otto's birth than to gather in that remarkable location to discuss lightweight construction, research and theory, environmental science and climate change, and construction technology, starting with his beloved models.
The density and wide-ranging scope of these issues brought a variety of original and cross-disciplinary experts and backgrounds to Stuttgart that expanded upon and honored the wealth of insights from Frei Otto — an innovative and visionary architect, a master of lightweight structures, and a pioneer in many of today's architectural and engineering challenges.
One of the numerous unique stories from the panel of international participants complementing these discussions was that of i-Mesh, as told by its visionary founder, Alberto Fiorenzi.
"I have a background in naval architecture and sailboat design. From 2003 to 2007, I was in Valencia, working for the America's Cup teams. At the time, sails were made of carbon and Kevlar filaments. That was where I saw these materials being used on a façade, when Renzo Piano chose repurposed sails as the cladding for the Prada headquarters. It was a perfectly on-theme choice, not to mention an interesting aesthetic. As a sailmaker and an expert in composite materials and design combined with architecture, I saw enormous potential in that application. That's how the story began, with a vision that immediately required theoretical and applied research and stable relationships with academia," says Alberto Fiorenzi.
The study of physics, forces, and resistance in relation to urban comfort and global warming first emerged at the University of Camerino's Faculty of Architecture in Ascoli Piceno, soon followed by other research centers, such as IUAV in Venice, the Milan Polytechnic, and the University of Rome, and subsequently spreading to Berlin, Munich, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Tokyo. Relationships with researchers, students, doctoral candidates, and lecturers were formed and developed during workshops, lectures, and technical seminars. This culminated in a meeting with ILEK, Werner Sobek, and Lucio Blandini.
"In this research, we asked ourselves what type of architecture was most congenial and what the fundamental core references were. I found myself drawn to the concepts of radical architects from the 1960s and 1970s, combined with a treatise by Kengo Kuma from the 1990s. I realized that the concept of ‘soft architecture’ was the right direction,” continues Fiorenzi.
Soft architecture is based on the concept of Softness, which is also the subject of a documentary film about the history of such materials. Materials are considered soft if their design, production, use, and disposal have a minimal impact on the environment and people. This means they also have a minimal carbon footprint. Soft materials enable a high level of customization, which can become a key component of a business model that fosters corporate culture. This is a prerequisite for a process that shortens the commercial sales chain while expanding the value and reputation chains.
"One of the main implications of this approach," Fiorenzi explains, "is the residual size of the warehouse, with no obsolescence or disposal of unsold products. It promotes respect for resources and zero waste. Of course, the lack of standardization determines end markets, projects, and clients, and guides the use of raw materials and natural colors, which can reduce water consumption to zero.”
The company's organization and tailor-made identity are defined by customized, real-time, and on-demand production. This production is linked to performance and patterns, as well as to the company's investment in human capital and its constant cognitive, technical, and creative modernization. Designing customizable and therefore unique materials increases expertise, awareness, and technical knowledge of the materials themselves.
Thus, the porosity that distinguishes the Masharabiya, Jali, and Gelosie traditions becomes a playing field for interior and exterior design skills, such as designing dividers, ceilings, and separators, and protecting against excessive solar radiation.
In every design culture, porosity is used to control surface performance and ensure high levels of urban and environmental comfort. At the same time, references and patterns are experimented with and innovated, sometimes as a result of surfaces being subjected to point loads. These instances give rise to surprising results involving memory, aesthetics, and function, as seen with the Dubai City Shading System or in any polygonal surface stretching between corners.
Porous surfaces are a high-tech reinterpretation of ancient craftsmanship techniques. They are dynamic interfaces and fluid devices that promote energy circulation and climate control, providing referential textures and creating dialogues between forms. These surfaces are cultural vectors that are important to all human beings and civilizations.
"The use of porous surfaces is as old as humanity itself. These examples of vernacular architecture have the same function but different names in different parts of the world. They allow us to renew our atavistic behavioral habits,” Fiorenzi concludes. “These passive devices control views, privacy, light, heat, ventilation, and wind loads. Anthropology teaches us that their impact on human beings extends beyond physics into the realms of iconography, neuroscience, and psychology.
