Spatial Lacing: A Novel Composite Material System for Fibrous Networks

This paper presents a fibre composite material system, Spatial Lacing, inspired by the traditional craft of Bobbin Lace. The system utilises parallelised, coordinated fibre-fibre interactions to create nodes in a spatial network, combining the design space of lattice- and surface-based structures. The nodes retain topology during transformation between flat-packed and tensioned states, thus enhancing logistical flexibility for curing and deployment. The system is developed from the micro (fibre nodes and local structural behaviours), meso (fibre topologies and component types) and macro (global design and computational workflow) levels. A notation system defined based on elementary lacing actions informs a graph-based modelling method to represent fibre geometries and integrate fabrication information. The design and construction of a 2.4 m physical artefact demonstrate the Spatial Lacing system, which showcases unique fibre tectonics unachievable by existing production methods. Through the transfer of a craft process into the realm of computational design and spatial fibre composites, this work aims to expand the design and fabrication space of fibre systems in architecture.