Adaptive Knitted Membranes: Customisable, Waste‐Free Architectural Skins for Sustainable Building Envelopes

Abstract

This research investigates knitted membranes as sustainable, customisable alternatives to state‐of‐the‐art kinetic textile systems. Combined with bending‐active GFRP actuation, the system enables resilient, hinge‐free movement and novel architectural expression. We investigate in an architectural scale application, how pleated and rib‐based knitted structures made from natural fibres, engineered for reversible elasticity without elastomeric yarns are exhibiting dual‐state behaviour with distinct visual and functional characteristics. By programming stitch patterns and yarn composition, the textiles can shift colour, transparency, and porosity in response to environmental conditions. CNC knitting supports seamless, waste‐free, geometry‐specific fabrication that closely integrates material behaviour with architectural performance. Building on earlier single‐element prototypes, a transdisciplinary team developed and tested a full‐scale array of five actuated knitted membranes, 3–5 m in height, demonstrating synchronous and choreographed motion. The results prototype the feasibility of adaptive, expressive, and sustainable façade systems..