Three-dimensional (3D) textiles in architecture and fashion design: a brief overview of the opportunities and limits in current practice

Three-dimensional (3D) textiles prove characteristics in structures and performance which can be as attractive as to be the main object of a high number of research and applications in specialist markets (from small medical devices to large engineering structure) where the performance demands are severe [1]. Nevertheless, much of the research has come from academia and there are few relatively small companies that, even if have expertise, lack the resources to develop R&D programmes. This prevents to broaden their application and to consolidate their use in new markets [2]. The paper aims at exploring the potentialities and future implementations of 3D textiles in architecture and fashion design. Both are fields where the demand to balance requirements of environmental sustainability, low time-consuming production and high performance is emerging, in their own respective scale. A set of more than 10 real case studies are collected and analysed with the aim at underlining the potentialities and the limits of 3D textiles in practice. The overview suggests that a more integrated workflow among modelling and simulation tools and bigger effort from industry to enhance manufacturing options and increase the interest on new material systems, bring about new application such as indoor environmental quality (IEQ) or human body protection