Now to apply the research I have done on fabric formwork to my project.

Would this technology work?

I will start with the ground floor.

The main thing to think about is the order of construction, if the order is not right, the building will fail.

I have decided that the main structural walls will be the interior ones. These will be constructed according to Kenzo Unno’s technique which incorporates the insulation into the wall itself. These interior walls will also incorporate triple glazed structural glass to provide windows which can also hold the load of a normal wall.

Construction of interior structural walls Appearance of interior wall- west side

After these structural walls are completed beams and columns can be made from frames which extend into the building itself.

These will then provide the support for the concrete slabs which will make up the ceiling. The underside will bulge down as if made from hanging fabric. Curtain partition rails can be fixed to the underside of indentations created by running wire under the fabric form while pouring the cement into the frame. This will mean the weight of the cement will cause the fabric to bulge either side, leaving a crease where the wire was fixed.

complete construction of interior construction of structural column construction of ceiling desired appearance of the interior of the ground floor columns and beams (including stairway)

The exterior facade will be constructed as a thin shell panel, made by spraying concrete onto a hanging fabric, as this is not as structural but is more natural in its form, giving the exterior the effect I want. This also means that the whole structure can be blended together easily, so it looks like one complete form.

The interior staircase can also be created using fabric formwork. The flat tops of the steps can be created by inserting wood panels over the fabric, leaving the cement to bulge out in the front, creating pillow -like forms.

complete staircase including columns underneath detail of construction of staircase