6. 100% wool
With Atelier Holtrop
Extensive research on a material inherent to the context of the Alps in order to develop innovative construction methods.
The project explores the gestures of making in relation to the geological material of a site, in order to produce an architecture that is solely focused on the relationship between the two, the form and the act of making. In a Swiss Alps contest, my intention was that to be as close as possible to the pristine reality of the surrounding. This main idea guided me in the choice of material, the wool, and directly linked to it, the phenomena of transhumance as my subject of research. The building developed is a temporary tent set up for pastors’ activities during shieling time: it is entirely made of wool and design to be transported and built straight on the place. The combination of pre-worked wool, felt, and natural wool, woollen flakes allowed to create a collaborative structure and working with a unique material. The out shape of the entire object is sawed felt that is then filled up with woollen flakes, giving so structural rigidity to it. As final result, the element fits contextually to its surrounding landscape by enhancing all the material quality of the wool itself.
