Home Articles Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi
ArticlesArchitecture & Design

Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi

Share
Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi
Share
Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi

With a passion for computational design and research, Nikoletta Karastathi is an architect based in London and doing her Ph.D. and teaching at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. She has various backgrounds, working in the industry as a practicing architect and in academia as a design tutor at Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.

Her interest in creative things started when she was a child. Currently, she is interested in architecture, textiles, and material computation. She has collaborations with many people from other disciplines. Her work motto is best summarized by Denys Lasdun’s words: “to give to the client on time and on cost, not what he wants but what he never dreamed he wanted, and when he gets it, he recognizes it as something he wanted all the time.”

She leaned more toward making, craftwork, and research as an architect. She believes that research and multidisciplinary cooperation can bring innovation.

Nikoletta Karastathi is looking for a wearable product that examines the relationship between humans and the microbiome through homemade knitted bio-textiles. Let’s take a look at her extraordinary works.

Bioactive-Pleksis

Nikoletta Karastathi
Bioactive-Pleksis

Bioactive-Pleksis is a speculative garment that explores our interdependencies with microbes and urges sustainable thinking. It examines the relationship between the human body and microbes through homemade knitted bio-textiles.

Humans and microbes have a remarkably complex relationship; microbes are essential for our bodies. The balance of this system is quite delicate; if a state becomes unstable, it can seriously harm us. According to Nikoletta, “I strongly believe that raising awareness regarding the complexity and interdependency of the systems can be the first step to a more healthy and sustainable future. This knowledge can also help re-establish equilibrium between ourselves and microbes.”

Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi
Nikoletta Karastathi

 

In Bioactive-Pleksis, the textile is used to examine the connection between our body and microbes in trying to provoke and discover an unexplored balance. According to Nikoletta, three key themes are examined throughout the piece: introducing the making of bio-yarn invested with bioactive marine algae, researching the care and performability of the fabric, and exploring the connection of the textile with time.

Knitted Anamnesis

Nikoletta Karastathi

Knitted Anamnesis was a memoir of loss and rebirth. Nikoletta did this project for the big forest fires in the Mediterranean region in 2021. Million square meters of the area were affected by the fires of 2021 in Greece.
Many living species are adversely affected by fires caused by climate change. Humans are at the forefront of these negativities. This ecological destruction is affecting local diversity, people, and the future.

Ecologically-crafted textile architecture by Nikoletta Karastathi

Ashes were collected from fire areas to produce the project. Knitted Anamnesis was knitted from the collected ashes. The yarns are knitted to make a textile that would act as a second skin of the chosen burnt trees. Nikoletta states, “The textiles are completed and placed on the trees from where the ashes were collected. At that point, the ash- textile becomes the burned tree’s extra skin. For the skin to become one with the tree, creating a symbiotic relationship for a few days. Once the skin dries out on the trees, it becomes a mold of the existing tree.” she added, “The knitted skins, once removed from the trees, act as a fragmented memory of the forest. The knitted molds are an indication of the loss. A memory constructed out of the ashes of the burned trees.”

Nikoletta Karastathi will lecture at Computational Design: NEXT 12 on December 10-11, 2022. Register for the program to learn more about Nikoletta Karastathi’s works, and more!

Share
Written by
Serra Utkum Ikiz

Serra, former managing editor at Parametric Architecture, is based between Istanbul and London and has a background in urban planning and sociology. She is passionate about researching and discussing cities, with a particular love for writing on urbanism, politics, and emerging design trends.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Related Articles
3D Prints Community
Architecture News3D PrintingArchitecture & Design

Hassell 3D Prints Community Building with Earth in Tanzania

Architecture studio Hassell unveils an organically 3D printed community building in Hope...

Simplicity in Concrete: A look at 8 notable projects by Tadao Ando
ArticlesArchitects

Simplicity in Concrete: A look at 8 notable projects by Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect that has succeeded. He has various...

How high do your sustainability goals rise? Sustainable Technologies for High-Rise Buildings
Articles

How high do your sustainability goals rise? Sustainable Technologies for High-Rise Buildings

The need for high-rise buildings is ever growing. This article explores the...

The Contrast Between Practice and Theory in Architecture
Articles

The Contrast Between Practice and Theory in Architecture

Practice and theory in architecture have long stood at a crossroads, often...

Subscribe to all newsletters

Join our community to receive the latest insights and updates!

© 2025 ParametricArchitecture. All Rights Reserved. By utilizing this website, you are consenting to our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Statement. In compliance with the privacy laws of Turkey and the United States, we recognize and respect your rights. Please be aware that we may receive commissions for products bought through our affiliate links. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or transmission of any material from this site is strictly forbidden without prior written permission from ParametricArchitecture.

AdBlocker Detected!

Help Us Keep Our Content Free

Your support helps us continue delivering high-quality resources at no cost to you.

We’ve detected that you are using an AdBlocker. We completely understand the need for a clean browsing experience, but ads help us keep this platform running and continue providing you with high-quality content at no cost.

If you enjoy our content, please consider disabling your AdBlocker or adding our site to your whitelist. Your support allows us to create more valuable articles, tutorials, and resources for you.

Thank you for being a part of our community!