In nature, Tessellated Material Systems (TMS) appear convergently across species and at all length scales. Their evolutionary success is based on the ability to unify mechanically opposing properties in one functional system. While the application of tessellations in Design and Architecture was and is focusing on the geometrical and structural benefits, this practice-based PhD project explores a different Design approach shifting the focus from structure to material. The aim of this research is to develop methods for designing hierarchical materials that lead to multi-functionality allowing for context sensitivity.

Designing Matter 2 
From Tile to Tessellation
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The MoA Design Research Studio »Designing Matter 2« investigated tessellated surfaces as material systems for textile architecture and product design. A tessellated surface is composed of individual units—tiles—which are connected by a joining material. Designing the materiality and the geometry of these individual units and their joints allows to calibrate the functionality of the overall tessellation. Designing matter as an overarching concept denotes the definition of the form and the materiality of the component elements in a material in order achieve a specific functionality. This process allows to utilize and enhance the inherent properties of a given material and ultimately to generate novel ones. Codes — either analogue or digital — are used to implement the design of the material by means of a systematization of its form-function interrelationship.