FriBriX
Design research studio Prof. Christiane Sauer , Department Textile and Surface Design Weißensee School of Art and Design Berlin, “sticky stacks” concept by Eva Eckert, Serafina Bauchen and Jojo Shone, Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany / 2021.
FriBriX is a research project that examines friction between interleaved stacks of paper as a method to design bottom up building processes. We understand paper as a contemporary urban resource and use waste paper of different weights to effect the properties of the structures we have designed. By adapting parameters such as the amount of sheets, the paper type and the overlap distance, the strength of each connection can be designed to fulfil specified requirements. Textile weaving techniques are explored to distribute force over the surface area. This 6m long bridge uses 100 sheets per paper stack, interleaved stacks are assembled in plain weave. The bridge could easily carry its own weight, didn’t show signs of collapse after a 2 month installation period and was tested by three sitting persons and one walking person. Concurrently, both single connections between two stacks and larger woven samples have been mechanically characterised at Fachhochschule Potsdam and have demonstrated extreme strength (two 100-sheet stacks resist up to 4 tons in tension).
On May 27 2022, the FriBriX team (Lorenzo Guiducci, Maxie Schneider, Jojo Shone, Christiane Sauer) organised the Structural Paper workshop at Bauwende Festival. Here participants playfully explored the potential of paper as a building material for constructing interwoven structures, held together simply through friction. We understand paper as a contemporary urban resource and use waste paper to design a bottom-up building process. After two intense days of collective work, a large pergola was erected.
