Architectural Carbon Fiber Curtain by Kengo Kuma
Best known for his work with wood, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma branches out with an innovative approach to retrofitting buildings for earthquake resistance. His three-story carbon fiber curtain strengthens an existing office building, with each rod carefully positioned to respond to horizontal seismic forces. Not only does it have a practical use, this adaptation adds a shimmering effect to an otherwise unremarkable structure.
AECOM Carbon Fiber Surfboard
Ten million linear feet of carbon fiber come together in a single surfboard by AECOM. To create it, they simply wrapped an ordinary surfboard with stands of carbon fiber using a custom-fabricated filament winding machine for a skeletal result that may not actually perform the desired function, but looks really cool. Add some clear resin to make it solid, and it would be a gorgeous and heirloom-quality board.
ICD + ITKE Robot-Created Pavilion
ICD and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart also built this research pavilion inspired by the morphological principle of arthropods’ exoskeletons. A six-axis robot coupled with an external seventh axis assembled the shelter on-site.
Woven Luno Chair & Rami Bench
Korean designer Il Hoon Roh created the Luno Chair and Rami Bench for the 2015 Gwanju Design Biennale, weaving carbon fiber string into sculptural compositions that are visually light and airy. Using a hexagonal structure as the basis of the weaving pattern, Roh expanded into more chaotic lines for the Rami (“tree branches” in Latin), using approximately 1 mile of carbon fiber for each piece.
