Future Materials: Lightweight Carbon Fiber Architecture

Michigan-based architecture firm Area used inexpensive cardboard molds to create the sections using carbon fiber filament pre-pregnated with epoxy resin to keep it malleable until baked. The designers see the possibilities as virtually endless, and it’s fun to imagine what could be made with this material at a larger scale. The team created a prototype that’s 14 feet tall and 8 feet wide at the base, yet uses only 30 pounds of material. They built their own low-heat oven to cure the sections at 260 to keep the cardboard from catching fire. Once finished, the pieces were soaked in water so the cardboard could be removed. Comment on Facebook In the past, architects had to choose between delicate looks and durability, but the development of new composite materials unveils all sorts of possibilities. It’s made of 143 wound carbon fiber filament ‘bricks’ that can be scaled up for architectural production.