Delia Dumitrescu from Romania has been a PhD Student at Smart Textiles for a year, but her face has been seen in the halls of the Swedish School of Textiles for longer than that. She used to be a master student in textile design and impressed with her degree thesis 'Knitted Light'.

First and foremost an architect, Delia Dumitrescu is unique among the PhD students in having that background. She wanted to do something different in order to complement her architecture studies and applied for the master programme in textile design.

Delia Dumitrescu from Romania has been a PhD Student at Smart Textiles for a year, but her face has been seen in the halls of the Swedish School of Textiles for longer than that. She used to be a master student in textile design and impressed with her degree thesis 'Knitted Light'.

First and foremost an architect, Delia Dumitrescu is unique among the PhD students in having that background. She wanted to do something different in order to complement her architecture studies and applied for the master programme in textile design. "There is a major difference between being a student of architecture and a student of textiles, apart from the obvious dissimilarities. When I studied to be an architect I never got to see a final product, the buildings were just digital dreams. That changed when I became a textile student, since the results are real physical materials."

Appreciates Teaching

After her master's she was hired as a PhD student at the Swedish School of Textiles and the Smart Textiles Design Lab. She has now been there for a year. "During my first year I assisted on a lot of research work and I am looking forward to getting on with my own research," says Delia Demitrescu, and continues, "I really appreciate the education the School's students go through as part of the PhD programme. It is a lot of fun!"

"I want the students to think 'outside the box'. My training in architecture makes me able to teach them from an architect's perspective. I am enabling them to work as architects in the future."

Interaction With Spaces

Her upcoming research will not be about creating concrete products as much as about coming up with ideas and develop new design concepts about how computer technology and textiles can develop new forms of expressions for buildings. "I want people to have a connection to the rooms, for there to be interaction between the resident and the wall paper, for example."

The research she is planning ahead is connected to her master's thesis 'Knitted Light', which explores the emotional and functional potential of the combination of light and textiles, in order to create interaction between users and buildings.

"The design process followed two general paths, the first being a focused function intended to reinforce the functional potential in the materials, such as the ability to save energy. The other path was an expression that by its emotional power, combined with textiles and light, was intended to enhance the user's interaction with the building's environment. Side-by-side with aesthetical values, the project had a powerful technological method that explored various options of seizing artificial light in the textile structures and creating three-dimensional woven surfaces with metal thread.

Her continuing work as a PhD student also means that she will continue developing her design programme. "I will keep the theme that connects form, textile expressions and human interaction with architectural design. Last year I worked on a lot of short projects that resulted in small-scale prototypes. Those examine tactile interactivity from various perspectives. My goal for this year is to deepen my knowledge and build life size spaces. Working on real size scales gives me greater understanding of the work process, the material and not least understanding of how people react in these spaces.

Written by: Therese Rosenblad