NETWORK : Learning from the Architects of Nature

The aim of this thesis is to attempt to solve technical and spatial issues in an architectural project by looking at a species of spider, Cyrtphora Citricola. This will be done using desk-based research, reference reading and testing models. The work of architect Frei Otto will also be used as a reference for technical and programmatic solutions in the architectural intervention. The thesis will attempt to answer the question, ‘What aspects of technical and spatial adaptability can be brought into an architectural context by studying spiders and their behavior?’ Spider silk is built up through a protein chain hierarchy, making for a unique structural material. As a species, spiders are particularly adaptable to different living conditions. The specific species Cyrtphora Citricola has a very unique way of building its web which has a tent-shaped formation. It is very adaptable to different sites and living conditions and shares similarities with the tent and netted roof structures designed by Otto. Being a pioneer in the fields of minimal architecture and tension construction, he claims architecture needs to integrate with nature as well as be light and minimal in order to solve the environmental problems we face in modern society. These theories have influenced this thesis and the resulting architectural project proposal. To gain further understanding of tensional structures, experiments using two different methods of model making have been explored. The first uses string and soap film to test the naturally occurring minimal surface of physical models and the second uses a similar method by programming computational software to act like the soap film. The project is summarized in one potential usage of the spider in architecture, an elementary school located in the planned neighborhood Tomtebo Strand, Umeå. The plot is currently all forest, which will be used in the project as a statement of adaptability. As a result of insufficient research surrounding spiders, the project developed into a modern recreation of Otto’s work with tensile construction. The purpose of the architectural project ‘NETWORK’ is to investigate how a large structure can adapt to any location, causing minimal impact. By studying spiders and spider technology and combining the research with the work of Otto; aspects of adaptability, technical function and aesthetical form have been combined to create a project which answers the thesis question