---
title: "Artist Patricia Urquiola uses LFAM and sustainable materials in new installation"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/artist-patricia-urquiola-uses-lfam-and-sustainable-materials-in-new-installation/
date: 2026-01-26
modified: 2026-01-26
lang: en
author: "Tess Boissonneault"
description: "Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish designer and architect, has unveiled her latest work at Heimtextil 2026, a Frankfurt-based expo for home and contract textiles. The installation, called among-all, is an interactive exploration..."
categories:
  - "Architecture"
  - "Art"
  - "Design"
  - "LFAM"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caracol-patricia-urquiola-1-640x480.jpg
word_count: 438
---

# Artist Patricia Urquiola uses LFAM and sustainable materials in new installation

Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish designer and architect, has unveiled her latest work at Heimtextil 2026, a Frankfurt-based expo for home and contract textiles. The installation, called *among-all, *is an interactive exploration of intelligent textiles and sustainable materials that uses various technologies as media, including artificial intelligence and 3D printing.

Urquiola is no stranger to using 3D printing as part of her creative process. In 2019, the designer teamed up with Aectuel, a company that specializes in 3D printed architectural elements, to create a [3D printed floor for a BMW showroom](https://www.voxelmatters.com/patricia-urquiola-aectual-bmw/). She has also designed 3D printed furniture pieces, such as a stoneware table series for Kettal. In *among-all, *she leverages Caracol's [Heron AM LFAM 3D printing solution](https://www.voxelmatters.com/on-the-wings-of-the-heron/) to create columns through which visitors access other elements of the installation, including a large LED wall that uses motion sensors and AI to turn viewers into "hybrid beings".

[![Artist Patricia Urquiola explores materials and shape with 3D printing and AI](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caracol-patricia-urquiola-3.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caracol-patricia-urquiola-3.jpg)

These columns were 3D printed from ECONYL, a recycled material made from nylon waste. Developed by Aquafil, the pellet-based 3D printing consumable is derived from old carpets, fishing nets, and other plastic waste, creating a more circular economy for the thermoplastic at a moment where plastic pollution overwhelms the world. By using the recycled material in combination with [Caracol's](https://www.3dprintingbusiness.directory/company/caracol-studio/) robotic 3D printing solution, Urquiola was able to realize expressive structures that explore the dynamic intersection of architecture and sustainability as well as the relationship between design intent and manufacturing process.

On this front, the design of the 3D printed structures uses over-extrusion—typically a 3D printing flaw—to create unique structures. The column forms, designed and engineered by Caracol's team, transformed the 3D printing errors into intentional design tools. As Caracol explains: "The characteristic material drips, stratified textures, and sculptural irregularities of the columns were generated by deliberately exploiting the physical limits of the printing process. Crucially, this approach was not experimental in a random sense: each 'error' was carefully predicted, programmed, and controlled through advanced process knowledge and engineering."

[![Artist Patricia Urquiola explores materials and shape with 3D printing and AI](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caracol-patricia-urquiola-2.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caracol-patricia-urquiola-2.jpg)

At the core of Urquiola's piece is the perspective that technology can be a "catalyst for creativity rather than a constraint". In other words, by using 3D printing as a tool and subverting uncontrolled errors into controlled design choices, the technology becomes a creative medium that enables us to think about the relationship between artist and tool in a new way. *among-all *also includes other elements in addition to the 3D printed columns, including the aforementioned AI-controlled LED screen, inflated figures, and a hybrid sculpture made from Ohoskin, a leather-like textile made from orange by-products.

Caracol's LFAM 3D printing solution has been used for myriad applications, including [composite yacht structures](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ferretti-turns-to-robotic-lfam-from-caracol-to-produce-pershing-gtx116-grilles/), [aerospace components](https://www.voxelmatters.com/d-orbit-looks-to-caracol-for-waam-3d-printed-pressurized-tanks/), and [carbon fiber mold patterns](https://www.voxelmatters.com/caracol-3d-printing-supports-stratospheric-gondola-project/).