Linen Lace Concrete - Back to Source to commercialise lab based findings from 'Woven Concrete'

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Trish Belford (PI) and Professor Ruth Morrow (Co I) a textile designer and architect have been working together for 9 years, bringing together the technologies of textiles and concrete, innovatively blending these two diverse materials to produce highly innovative surfaces. This follow on funded project aims to commercialise unresolved findings in the original AHRC practice led grant 'Woven Concrete' (AH/E006248/1) That lab based project aimed to create innovative concrete textile surfaces. The original findings of using linen as the most suitable base fabric to withstand the harsh alkaline properties of concrete will be brought to a conclusion with this collaboration with MYB textiles, Scotland. We will develop a range of woven linen lace concrete surfaces using knowledge gathered over the intervening years to generate large scale panels. Inspired by the initial grant Belford and Morrow continued their collaboration eventually developing patented products. Those developments were an extension of the thinking and learning from the original grant however they were carried out by different means, which ultimately proved to be time consuming and expensive to produce. These new methods of production with MYB will result in commercially viable and more sustainable methods of manufacturing a linen lace. Belford and Morrow in the intervening years have generated many world wide contacts, through promotion of the existing expensive technologies, also finding time to present and write about the process, reflecting on the cultural significance and tension of bringing two diverse cultures - concrete and textiles into one process. Marketing feedback has indicated that scale and a one stage process for making would place this product in a much stronger position. This has been unachievable due to limitations on current technology available.This project application is therefore intended to: a) Return again to the original findings of the earlier grant and with the knowledge and experience developed in the intervening years by using large scale textile manufacturing techniques to make commercially viable lace textiles for infusing with concrete, hence opening up new commercial opportunities . MYB currently weave lace with cotton yarns and a diversification to linen will be a response to recent client interest in linen. b) Present the story of this collaboration in an imaginative way that engages the general public; specialist interest groups in traditional and innovative textiles; and the concrete industry. The lab based research of 'woven concrete' identified linen as suitable to withstand the alkaline conditions of concrete, in the original grant the textile pattern was created by a post devore (burn out) print process to create lace-like textiles, this however was laborious, costly and uncontrollable, so in order to try and commercialise the embedded textile processes the researchers later created the lace structures by laser cutting on pre woven imported textiles. This is currently one of the three patented processes that went forward for commercialisation. However this is costly, energy inefficient and time consuming and we have now identified a need to find an alternative method for creating lace linen. A feasibility study funded by Ulster University research confirmed MYB as the most suitable Company to collaborate with, they have the technology and a forward thinking outlook, but are not yet weaving in linen lace. MYB, is a 115 year old textile company based in Scotland and the only remaining UK industrial producer of woven lace. They currently only weave lace effects with cotton but are willing to collaborate and alter loom settings and yarn in order to take part in this project. They view this as a valuable addition to their existing portfolio. The final pieces of work (large panels) will be exhibited in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, attracting audiences from both Textiles and Architecture