It is an important natural resource, it is loved by sailors and surfers, but is also something we avoid and seek protection from – the wind creates prerequisites and affects us in our everyday life. Erica Hörteborn has investigated the interaction between wind and knitted textiles and concluded that knitted architecture has good potential in being able to improve the urban environment in various ways.
With her background as civil engineer and architect, Erica Hörteborn combines research that opens up the concept of connecting knitted textiles, wind and architecture. By subjecting the textile to wind tunnel tests and measuring its capacity for wind reduction, Erica has been able to show that properties of knitted textiles, such as porosity and flexibility, mean that they effectively dampen and filter out unpleasant wind and turbulence. Something that could be used to improve the urban space by creating a more pleasant environment to live in.
– The wind tunnel tests have shown that knitted textiles dampen wind effectively. In addition, as the knitted textile adapts and stretches with the force applied, the porosity increases with the increased wind strength - the textile adapts at higher loads. This should mean that it can withstand greater wind loads than a solid construction, says Erica Hörteborn, PhD at Architecture and Civil Engineering, Department of Architecture's Theory and Method.
Another advantage of using knitted textiles as an element in the urban space, says Erica, is that the influence of the wind shapes a figure that constantly takes on different expressions, that changes and moves. Knitted architecture could potentially improve the wind environment, be used to filter light and provide shade and also contribute aesthetically to a place. Through the exhibitions Erica participated in during her research project, she has noted the interest that knitted architecture arouses.
– Textile is perceived as welcoming, perhaps because it is a tactile material, which makes people walk up to have a feel and look. It sparks interest and can thus create opportunities for conversation.
We tend to limit ourselves to static architecture that doesn't take advantage of the potential of the materials' possibilities for movement
Interplay between textile and wind
In a collaboration with The Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, she has explored different knitting techniques and how the textiles produced interact with wind. Of the techniques tested, the so-called dropstitch technique has shown particularly good properties linked to interaction with wind, both because it creates a three-dimensional surface and gives the opportunity to shape the textile after manufacture.
— The three-dimensionality gives porosity and permeability in the textile, which interacts well with varying wind speeds and the turbulence in the wind in an effective way, explains Erica.
Regarding durability, Erica believes that knitted textiles in themselves can be quite a strong construction, not least in combination with its porosity and stretchability.
– A knitted flexible textile deforms but does not break in the same way that a woven construction might. Another advantage of the lightweight material is that such a construction is unlikely to injure anyone if it breaks.
Possible future research in the field
The prototypes Erica developed are made of cotton yarn that is not optimized for use in an outdoor environment, and choice of material was not a factor covered in the study but is something she hopes future research will investigate more closely.
– Knitted architecture is relatively unexplored at present. On the few occasions when knitted textiles have been used for architecture, it is usually in a stretched form. Either in combination with concrete or other hard materials, or with something that stretches out the textile; more like textiles have traditionally been used in architecture in woven constructions. We tend to limit ourselves to static architecture that does not take advantage of the potential of the materials' possibilities for movement.