Adaptive recycled plastic architecture: Vacuum-sealed chainmail structures through computational design

Abstract

The construction industry is a major consumer of raw materials, accounting for nearly half of global material usage annually, while generating significant waste that poses sustainability challenges. This paper explores the untapped potential of recycled plastics as a primary construction material, leveraging their lightweight, flexible, and customizable properties for advanced applications in modular chainmail systems. Through a computational workflow, the study optimizes the design, testing, and fabrication of vacuum-sealed chainmail structures composed of recycled plastic filaments, demonstrating their adaptability and structural performance for architectural use. Key contributions include a novel methodology for integrating recycled plastic filaments into chainmail geometries, validated through 2D sectional testing, 3D shell structure generation, and physical modeling under vacuum constraints. The research identifies the rectangular chainmail configuration as the most efficient and adaptable, achieving superior deformation capacity, material efficiency, and load-bearing performance. Optimization strategies for temporary structures highlight practical deployment potential, balancing material savings, usable area, and water drainage efficiency. The findings offer a foundation for innovative applications in extreme conditions, including disaster-prone areas, high-altitude environments, underwater platforms, and extraterrestrial habitats. These applications leverage the lightweight, adaptable, and durable properties of recycled plastics and modular chainmail systems, bridging the gap between waste management and high-performance design while addressing unique challenges in harsh and resource-constrained environments.