A
Kagome Architectures
Researcher
Phil Ayres
Research unit
Centre for Biohybrid Architecture
What does weaving have to do with architecture? Perhaps more than you might expect.
This project is rooted in a tradition of material thinking where form emerges from the interplay between intention, topology, material and principles of craft.
More concretely, the project investigates how simple basket-making principles can form the basis for new knowledge in triaxial weaving when applied to architectural-scale structures.
The research demonstrates how these simple and accessible principles can generate complex spatial structures.
Triaxial weaving is a practice found across many cultures around the world. This creates direct opportunities for uptake of insights which can strengthening and extend cultural practices.
The project offers hope for a more participatory and resourceful approach to making—one in which knowledge is shared, form emerges through process and innovation can grow from practices that are embedded in society.
Different stages of representing a principled weave pattern – from underlying topology to material rendering.
This humble basket embodies profound yet simple principles for making form using straight material. Our research examines how this weave method can be applied in the context of architectural scale structures.
Research Motivation
We are fascinated by triaxial weaving as a simple yet profound way of understanding how geometry, topology and material behaviour can generate form.
Its connections to patterns found in nature reveal a surprising universality, while its potential to transform straight stock materials into complex structures opens exciting possibilities for architecture, materials and making.
Its connections to patterns found in nature reveal a surprising universality, while its potential to transform straight stock materials into complex structures opens exciting possibilities for architecture, materials and making.
Internal partners
Xan Browne, Shayla Nikzad, Jack Young, You-Wen Ji, Oliwia Pindel
External partners
Professor Chris J. K. Williams, Chalmers University of Technology
Bibliography
Bibliography
Open Access
[1]
P. Ayres et al., ‘Weaving the Shimoni Cave: Amplifying Craft Practice Through Computation’, in Fabricate 2024, P. Ayres, B. Sheil, and M. Skavara, Eds, in Creating Resourceful Futures. , UCL Press, 2024, pp. 284–291. doi: 10.2307/jj.11374766.39.
[2]
X. Browne and P. Ayres, ‘Experimental assessment of Kagome weaving for architectural structures using physical models.’, in Proceedings of IASS-IWSS 2026., A. Bertetto, S. Gabriele, F. Marmo, and A. Micheletti, Eds, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://pub-12d7216700584ed7a1b50eac1448d179.r2.dev/IASS_2026_-_IWSS_2026_paper_88.pdf
Not Open Access
[1]
Young, X. Browne, O. Pindel, and P. Ayres, ‘Curved by Craft: Kagome weaving principles in architectural timber lattices’, in Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia, International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, 2025, pp. 1–12. [Online]. Available: https://kglakademi.dk/da/case/kagome-architectures
[2]
P. Ayres, ‘Reorienting Ancient Practices for Regenerative Futures’, Biodesign in Architecture, vol. 96, no. 1, 2026, [Online]. Available: https://architecturaldesign-ad.com/shop/p/vol-961-biodesign-in-architecture-digital
[3]
P. Ayres, ‘Articulating an Architectural Poetics of Rot’, in Routledge & CRC Press, A. Crawford and J. Dessi-Olive, Eds, in Designing Mycelium: Exploring the Design Potential of Fungi. , 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.routledge.com/Designing-Mycelium-Exploring-the-Design-Potential-of-Fungi/Crawford-Dessi-Olive/p/book/9781041048213
[4]
P. Ayres, ‘Architecture Must Rot – Repositioning a disquieting process’, in Mycelium Resources in Architecture and Design, N. Flaitz, Ed., 2026. [Online]. Available: https://birkhauser.com/en/book/9783035629828
