Fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are a family of strong and lightweight composite materials combining fibres and polymers. FRPs are widely used in the aviation, naval and automotive industries for components that require a high ratio of strength to weight and durability. Despite some pioneering experimental architectural applications in the 1960s, it is only in recent years that a growing interest in FRP elements is evident in the architectural field. The following paper critically reviews the current use of FRP in architecture and proposes a framework and a method to design and fabricate freeform architectural elements and structures from FRP without the need for using moulds. The proposed method is examined in a case study design and fabrication of a shading structure for beach areas. The case study results are discussed and conclusions are presented for future developments of the proposed method for the use of composite materials in architecture.

L_FMFRP is an architectural fiber composite surface element with an airy internal structure and variable section. This architectured material is the product of an alternative design and fabrication process that integrates fabric materiality, suggesting moldless shaping of the material through pleating and layering. Initial study of the mechanical properties of the element showed a structural behavior that would satisfy the requirement for schematic architectural cladding configurations, indicating a unique hysteretic behavior of the material. This paper further investigates the hysteretic capacities of L-FMFRP, examining the behavior under repeated loading and the effect of its internal material architecture. Parallels to entangled materials are suggested for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, and the potential future application as an energy-absorbent material for façade cladding is outlined.

Self-morphing of thin plates could greatly impact the life if used in architectural context. Yet, so far, its realizations are limited to small-scale structures made of model materials. Here, new fabrication techniques are developed that turn two conventional construction materials-clay and fiber composites (FRP)-into smart, self-morphing materials, compatible with architectural needs. Controlled experiments verify the quantitative connection between the prescribed small-scale material structure and the global 3D surface, as predicted by the theory of incompatible elastic sheets. Scaling up of desired structures is demonstrated, including a method that copes with self-weight effects. Finally, a method for the construction of FRP surfaces with complex curvature distribution is presented, together with a software interface that allows the computation of the 3D surface for a given fiber pattern (the forward problem), as well as the fiber distribution required for a desired 3D shape (the inverse problem). This work shows the feasibility of large-scale self-morphing surfaces for architecture.

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