Signals & Stats : Daily Signals

Nature’s canopy

By Alex Jordan 10 : 02 : 2016 V&A Museum : Victoria & Albert Museum : Engineering Season

London – The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) has commissioned a 3D-printed garden installation as part of its first Engineering Season.

  • The Elytra Filament Pavilion is inspired by the structure of the forewing shells of elytra beetles
  • Initial renderings show an undulating canopy of carbon fibre shells that cast geometric shadows
Filament winding robots, The University of Stuttgart, Germany Filament winding robots, The University of Stuttgart, Germany
Render of the Elytra Filament Pavilion by architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann at the V&A, London Render of the Elytra Filament Pavilion by architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann at the V&A, London
Render of the Elytra Filament Pavilion by architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann at the V&A, London Render of the Elytra Filament Pavilion by architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann at the V&A, London

The season’s retrospective of engineer Ove Arup’s work examines the wonders of industrial-era design, but the V&A’s central courtyard will highlight emerging robotic technology.

Engineers and architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann, structural engineer Jan Knippers and climate engineer Thomas Auer have created the concept for a 3D-printed pavilion that will take shape from March 2016.

The pavilion will develop over the course of the Engineering Season in response to data on structural behaviour and patterns of habitation captured by sensors in the canopy fibres. 

Visitors will be able to watch as new cells are created by a Kuka robot, common to industrial production lines around the world.

The Big Picture

3D printing using real-time data enables designers to visualise abstract concepts. Brazilian designer Guto Requena’s The Love Project analysed emotional data to translate love stories into 3D objects.

Discover More Daily Signals
Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Daily Signals

Niod’s anti-facial disrupts beauty’s clean narrative

Deciem’s science-led skincare brand Niod has launched a new campaign video subverting the polished conventions of beauty marketing by replacing ser...
Beauty : Advertising : Environment
Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Daily Signals

Singapore moves to regulate blind boxes over gambling risks

Singapore is set to become the first market to require blind box products to disclose the probability of obtaining specific items, as authorities a...
Retail : Toys : Blind Boxes
Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

Daily Signals

Stat: ‘My employer’ emerges as the most trusted institution

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on a survey of nearly 34,000 respondents across 28 countries, shows insularity reshaping how people re...
Work : Trust : Employers
The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

Daily Signals

The Salvation Army launches world’s first digital thrift store on Roblox

The Salvation Army is extending its resale model into gaming with the launch of Thrift Score, translating the charity’s bricks-and-mortar thrift fo...
Fashion : Retail : Digital
Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

Daily Signals

Lyma builds an integrated operating system for skincare

British medtech company Lyma has launched an AI-powered wellness app that extends its skincare proposition into a fully connected digital ecosystem.
Beauty : Wellness : Medtech
Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Daily Signals

Stat: How Chinese and Indian travellers are driving Asia-Pacific outbound travel

Outbound travel from Asia-Pacific is accelerating, but not all markets are growing at the same pace, according to new research from MMGY.
Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Daily Signals

Nothing turns retail into a community engine in Bengaluru

Consumer electronics brand Nothing has opened its first Indian retail space in Bengaluru, drawing more than 2,000 people to queue on 14 February 2026.
Retail : Technology : Design
OpenAI retires GPT-4o, prompting digital grief among users

Daily Signals

OpenAI retires GPT-4o, prompting digital grief among users

OpenAI has removed access to GPT-4o, sparking backlash from users who say the model was more than just a productivity tool.
Technology : AI : Connection
Stat: Vinted becomes the UK’s third-largest fashion retailer amid second-hand boom

Daily Signals

Stat: Vinted becomes the UK’s third-largest fashion retailer amid second-hand boom

New data from SpendMapper shows Vinted is now the third-largest fashion retailer in the UK, behind Primark and Next.
Fashion : Sustainability : Vinted
Depop taps Kelis to spotlight resale’s everyday returns

Daily Signals

Depop taps Kelis to spotlight resale’s everyday returns

Depop is doubling down on the everyday value of secondhand fashion with the launch of Depoponomics, a new US campaign championing resale as a means...
Sustainability : Depop : Resale
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN