Warp and Woof

Competition proposal - Melbourne, Australia - 2016


Warp and Woof was an exploration of growth, weaving, and non-hierarchical structure. The proposal envisioned a subterranean field of interconnected chambers that behaved more like a living network than a static building.

The design drew from Aboriginal art and cellular weaving, where lines and circles form radial patterns reminiscent of tissue and skin. The structure emerged through a generative process that layered and intertwined rather than assembled separate parts.

Below ground, the studios and classrooms extended horizontally in a rhizomatic layout that encouraged open exchange instead of hierarchy. The woven architectural skin blurred the boundary between ornament and structure, reflecting Gottfried Semper’s idea that the seam can be both functional and expressive.

The project’s rhizomatic plan and woven skin relate to my continuing interest in systems that grow laterally, breathe through their boundaries, and shape spatial experience through behavior rather than form alone.