This research explores the integration of carbon fiber structural networks within large-scale 3D printed polymer architectural skins. The approach is developed through a lineage of iteratively designed projects that establish a co-evolution of fabrication technique and tectonic logic.

This fabrication research has emerged from a trajectory of algorithmic design focused on the generation of intricate geometries and the compression of tectonics into a single heterogeneous assemblage. Embedding carbon fiber structural networks within polymer printed architectural skins enables a shift from printed polymer as a cladding to an integration of form, surface and structure – an expression of the synthetic negotiation of complex systems. This enables architecture to fully leverage the geometric possibilities of 3D printing to reify the complexity of algorithmically generated architecture and reveal a new set of formal and topological possibilities.

The strategy posited here of printing structural conduits within architectural skins enables substantial carbon fiber structural members to be infused within the skin of the projects. In this approach structure is not subservient to the geometry of the skin, but instead structure and skin negotiate a nuanced interrelationship with the capacity to generate complex and intricate form. Printing conduits for carbon fiber infusion enables detailed control of the profile of the structural members and an efficient process for embedding fiber composites without the use of molds.

PUBLICATIONS

• Snooks, Roland. Harper, Laura. "Printed Assemblages". In Fabricate 2020, edited by Jane Burry, Jenny Sabin, Bob Sheil, Marilena Skavara, 202-209. London: UCL Press, 2020.

• Mohamed, Hesam. Bao, Dingwen. Snooks, Roland. “Super Composite: Carbon Fibre Infused 3D Printed Tectonic” Proceedings of the 2020 DigitalFUTURES - The 2nd International Conference on Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication, pp.297-308.