Stone Web

In the architectural context basalt is utilized mainly as a solid surface material. The volcanic rock melts at around 1.400 °C, enabling production of continuous basalt fibers, so called filaments. Basalt filaments are further processed into rovings, yarns or fabrics and used for technical applications like reinforcements for composite materials. Basalt fibers offer many potential applications due to their good mechanical, thermal and UV
resistance, but they are still relatively unknown to a wider public.

In the design project „SteinWeich“ students developed experimental textile basalt structures. The title of this project refers to the different aggregation states of the material: initially liquid lava, then solidified and thousands years later melted again and processed into soft fibers used for production of industrial fabrics.

Stone Web by Idalene Rapp & Natascha Unger is a system in which individual modules are combined to create spatial structures. The hexagonal modules are manufactured by resinated basalt filaments of various thickness and density that varies according to structural or visual needs. They can be stacked horizontally, vertically or diagonally, offering a wide range of possible spatial configurations. Stone is used as an ultralight building material: one module weights only 50 gramms, a wall with 80 modules around 4 kilogramms.