Weaving a Home, 2020 – ongoing

An ongoing development of a performative structural material system that honors the notion of cradle-to-cradle architecture and challenges contemporary modes of living.

Historically, communities in the Arab world were inextricably connected to nature and their surroundings, both inside and outside of their homes. In a modern world governed by consumerism and urbanism, and threatened by a burgeoning climate crisis, the notion of cradle-to-cradle living and design, which embeds nature and sustainability into all processes of life, is needed now more than ever. Shelter is a microcosm that represents how we understand and connect to the universe and to our bodies. Creating a shelter that sustains and supports the thriving of the human spirit and the nurturing of our environment forms the crux of this work.

How can we create spaces that have regenerative impacts on human beings and their environment?

Weaving a Home has gone through multiple phases since its inception in 2013. The objective was to build a portable, dignified shelter for displaced communities that provides them with the necessities of contemporary life through the development of a double-layered performative structural fabric in the form of a dome. However, the design’s contextual link to land, culture and heritage highlighted the need to consider the wellbeing of different communities beyond simply providing functional solutions. How can the design of a shelter truly create added value?

Using local resources and the intuitive hands of a community of craftsmen and women, the new material system merges mechanics and design, while drawing inspiration from traditional tent-crafting methods that have community and sustainability at their core. Resilient and collapsible, the dome represents a continuity in the evolution of place-making that is not linear but rather circular–rooted in the present, but watered, fed and nurtured by its past. 

The exclusive 3D rendering artworks of the dome above are for sale to help raise funds for the purpose of building a full-scale prototype. Contact me if you’re interested in contributing or acquiring the artworks.