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The (Stuttgart, Germany) research demonstrator “Adaptive FRP elements for facade shading” has been selected as an interactive exhibit in the Building & Industry Innovation Planet at JEC World 2023 (April 25-27, Paris, France). Movement (bending of the flap up to 90°) is activated by cushions integrated asymmetrically into the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite laminate. Visitors at JEC will be able to pressurize the cushions in the demonstrator themselves via a foot pump.

This exhibit at JEC World 2023 is derived from the ITECH Research Demonstrator developed in 2018-19 by the (ITKE) in collaboration with the (ITFT) and the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD). That demonstrator comprises two folding components — one 1.7 x 3.0 meters tall, the other 1.7 x 2.5 meters tall — with a total weight of 23 kilograms per element. The laminates for the two elements were manufactured by robotic tape-laying of up to eight simultaneous tapes made from carbon and glass fiber-reinforced polyamide (PA). 

With a maximum actuation pressure of 0.8 bar in the horizontal hinges and 0.4 bar in the vertical hinges, a folding angle of nearly 80° can be achieved in the two composite components. This movement can be initiated via two different means.

A user can directly interact with the adaptive FRP elements through the conductivity of the carbon fibers in the composite laminates, enabling parts of the pavilion to be touch sensitive. When a user taps the structure in locally defined areas, opening and closing of the adaptive composite elements can be triggered.

A second mode of interaction is enabled through a custom mobile and web-based user control interface, allowing a user to activate and control the motion of the demonstrator via smart phone or tablet PC. The interface simultaneously visualizes a real-time 3D model digital twin representing the current folded or unfolded state of the composite structures.