project

Corolla, the soft-robotic coworking pod

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General information

  • Location country
  • Year of construction
    2019
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Design Competition Expo Dubai 2020
  • Function of building
    Shelters
  • Degree of enclosure
    Hybrid structure
  • Type of application of the membrane
    internal
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Space defining elements

Description

The prototype Corolla is the outcome of a research project into soft-robotic responsive envelope systems, aimed to create a new, lightweight, adaptive envelope typology to provide increased comfort and an energetically efficient solution for outdoor living. Soft robotics is an emerging field in robotics that takes inspiration from invertebrates which are able to move without any rigid body parts. Emulating those biological mechanisms provides significant advantages over traditional rigid robotics, such as reduced weight, cost and increased robustness and flexibility.
Corolla is one of the winning entries of the ‘Design Competition Expo Dubai 2020’, an initiative promoted by Regione Lombardia and Camera di Commercio di Milano Monza Brianza Lodi in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano, under the theme “Connecting Spaces''. The winning projects were exhibited at the HOMI Outdoors Fair in Rho Fiera Milano and will be showcased in several public events in 2021, including Milano Design Week and Expo Dubai 2021.

Description of the environmental conditions

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Hybrid
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    Riverseal® 202

Main dimensions and form

  • Covered surface (m2)
    9.77

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Temporary
  • Convertible or mobile
    Convertible

Involved companies

Editor