ULTRAPERFORMING Beams/ Columns Doors ... - fen-om data

philosophy of comfort that embraces the floor as a living space.
www.idsland.com/q.php?prj=32
Casula
Using the most advanced technical procedures that the textile industry has to offer, Nanni Strada
engineered a vibrant fabric that reacts to light. Out of this she constructed a religious garment
that expresses the immateriality of sacredness. “The invitation to rethink the casula, a ritual
garment worn during religious ceremonies, provided a chance to take to the extreme an approach
that I have unconsciously used in all my designs. Rather than working on the symbolic nature of
the colours, I preferred to concentrate on the amount of light reflection. In this way I was able
to work on the brilliantness and vibration of light. Gold has been used a great deal in sacred
garments, but it is a metal that needs to be woven into the fabric. However, in modern times
we see the use of a metallic yarn called Lurex. It is very shiny and used a lot in haute couture to
decorate evening wear, producing results that are both sophisticated and vulgar. My idea was to
“laminate” the surface of the material in order to obtain an effect that is shiny and more metallic.
It is possible to alter the fabric’s surface and give it the qualities of other materials (paper, plastic,
metals) and/or transform it into a mutant material, creating a kind of process of crossbreeding.
In the process of coupling, textile “leaves” or different materials are joined together. This fusion
occurs by calendaring, passing the fabrics through cylinders that whirl round as well as altering
the brightness simply by calibrating the number of passages and the speed of the cylinders. The
different degrees of brilliance, levels of luminosity and the different perception linked to the
vibration of the light are all important components of this design.” - Nanni Strada
www.nannistrada.com
Photonic Textiles
At the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) 2005, Philips is demonstrating photonic textiles -
fabrics that contain lighting systems and can therefore serve as displays. With the development
of this new and unusual technology, Philips Research is pointing the way toward a new age in the
long history of textiles. At first glance, objects such as clothing, towels, upholstery, and drapes
would seem unlikely places on which to place intelligent and interactive systems. Yet these lowtech
objects figure prominently in our lives. By integrating flexible arrays of multicolored lightemitting
diodes (LEDs) into fabrics - and doing so without compromising the softness of the
cloth - Philips Research is bringing these inert objects to life. To meet the challenge of creating
light-emitting cloth objects that retain their softness, Philips Research and textile institute TITV
Greiz have developed an interconnecting substrate made entirely of cloth. Researchers from
Philips have also created flexible and drapable substrates from plastics and films. On these
substrates, the researchers have placed passive matrices of compact RGB LED packages. The
pixelated luminaires with relatively large distance between the RGB pixels have been embedded in
such everyday objects as cushions, backpacks, and floor mats. Since the fabric material covering
the miniature light sources naturally diffuses light, each pixel seems bigger than it actually is.
The LEDs, therefore, remain small and unobtrusive, while the fabric retains its soft look and feel.
Photonic textiles can also be made interactive. Philips has achieved interactivity by incorporating
sensors (such as orientation and pressure sensors) and communication devices (such as Bluetooth,
GSM) into the fabric. The results of these innovations are as various and promising as they are
novel. Photonic textiles open up a wide range of applications in the fields of ambient lighting,
communication, and personal health care. Photonic textiles are still a young business. Even at
this early stage, however, Philips envisions partnerships with interior and apparel brands that see
the potential of photonic textiles to revolutionize the very concept of fabric. The demonstration
at IFA is also meant to show the opportunities offered by this technology and to gain customers’
and visitors’ feedback on these options.
www.research.philips.com/newscenter/archive/2005/050902-phottext.html
Plantic
Cost competitive biomaterials are in demand by industry as they are usually sourced from
renewable resources. Plantic is a new and developing type of biomaterial based on starch. The
first commercial application of Plantic technology is in packaging and display trays. Plantic trays
look, feel and function the same as traditional plastic trays except that Plantic trays are made
from renewable resources, are compostable and, most interestingly, dissolve when in water. The
production facility in Melbourne, Australia produces flat sheet roll stock in a range of standard
colors and gauges for use by industry. The standard color range is natural, white, brown, black
and gold and it can be produced to tailor individual requirements. Plantic finished products are
priced competitively with plastic trays made from petrochemical plastics. Plantic trays are not
subject to the dramatic price variations petrochemical products are exposed to. Plantic is suitable