![Computational Weaving [ACTLAB]](https://thegoldenglitch.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/9232038_orig_HD-1024x576.jpg)
Tasked with conducting research on the biodirectional link between physical and virtual environments, Politecnico di Milano’s ACTLAB are exploring the natural weaving properties of willow (salix) to create a digital architectural framework based on the 10,000-year old art of basketry.
![Computational Weaving [ACTLAB]](https://thegoldenglitch.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2414898_orig-1024x683.jpg)
More than 300 species of salix exist around the Mediterranean, but its affinity to water (as its name suggests in Latin) is what holds the weave together, and makes it unique in terms of its mechanical properties. The traditional craft technique of willow weaving is proof of the strength found in its natural properties – its wood fibres have been helixed together to form anything from the well-known rustic basket, up to beautiful, structurally-sound furniture and lodges for centuries on end.
![Computational Weaving [ACTLAB]](https://thegoldenglitch.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/7070992_orig-1024x683.jpg)
Inspired by the makings of this traditional craft, ACTLAB re-engineered willow weaving through rigorous scientific testing, to create an adaptation of this technology for architectural purposes. The core aim was to explore the correlation between the salix anisotopic characteristics and the structural systems of basketry that were traditionally derived from weaving. The various iterations that emerged were adapted into experimental 3D geometries that were analysed and tested through finite element analysis and algorithmic workflow. These geometries were then counter-tested with mechanical laboratory tests and practical tests on weaving.
![Computational Weaving [ACTLAB]](https://thegoldenglitch.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/8318803_orig-1024x683.jpg)
By intensely researching the raw material, it is demystified enough for researchers, designers and makers alike engage with the intrinsic qualities of material that are often invisible to the eye. It heightens understanding and opens a world of possibilities: in most ways, ACTLAB’s intervention has continued to push the limits of what weavers for centuries knew and beheld. Unearthing the DNA of this material through these infinite iterations can in turn open more possibilities for further applications and studies, on both the material in itself, and on its innate weaving mechanisms.
![Computational Weaving [ACTLAB]](https://thegoldenglitch.io/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/597680_orig-1024x682.jpg)
