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.

embrace 2
Tessellated Support Structure
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This project builds on findings from the TMS research and is situated in a collaborative design project developed by Silke Hofmann. In her research she is interested in the wearer-garment relationship and participatory design processes. Embrace 2 is situated in the female health spectrum and focuses on aesthetic and ergonomic bra needs of females affected by breast cancer after mastectomy. This directly results in wearable objects that materialize the participating women's needs in individualized garment solutions. Coming from different backgrounds we had individual research goals that benefited from each other’s specific competencies and profession.