Fiber

The Weave of Resilience.

In our practice, straw and other fiber are more than simple building elements; they are the tensile strength of our vision, the weaving that binds earth and intention. We honor these humble, plant-based materials as essential collaborators in creating structures that are flexible, resilient, and deeply connected to the agricultural and natural cycles of a place.

A Philosophical Core:

The Sacred Byproduct
We see these materials not as waste, but as sacred gifts. Spanish moss is an epiphyte, not a parasite; it lives on air and rain. Straw is a generous byproduct of grain cultivation. By elevating these humble materials, we challenge the very definition of a resource. Our work with fiber is a practice in radical softness and cultural continuity, proving that strength does not have to be rigid and that the most resilient systems are those that can bend, breathe, and remember.

The Essence of Straw & Fiber:

  • Tensile Poetry
    Where earth provides mass and compression, straw offers tensile strength and flexibility. This beautiful opposition is the heart of our composite materials, allowing us to create forms that are both sturdy and shock absorbent, capable of moving and breathing with the land.

  • Natural Insulation
    The hollow structure of straw traps millions of tiny pockets of air within a wall system. This trapped air provides exceptional thermal insulation, ensuring our structures are warm in winter and cool in summer. This is climate control born of biology, not industry.

  • A Carbon Capturing Canvas
    These plant based materials are grown by the sun. In using straw, we sequester carbon and utilize an agricultural byproduct that might otherwise be burned. Each stalk woven into our walls represents a deliberate act of carbon cycle repair and a rejection of energy intensive synthetic insulation.

  • Embodied Cycles
    We prioritize locally sourced and harvested materials, from rice straw to the Spanish moss gathered from our local live oaks. This practice connects our work to regional agricultural and ecological cycles, turning available materials into architecture. These natural fibers are biodegradable and non toxic, ensuring that at their end of life, they gracefully return to the soil, completing a circle of zero waste.

Our Fibrous Practices:

  • Bousillage: A traditional technique where a moist mixture of clay soil, water, and Spanish moss is hand packed between structural members. We engage with this method as a practice of cultural and historical connection, creating walls that are deeply rooted in the place and its building heritage.

  • Light Straw Clay: A technique where loose straw is lightly coated in a clay slip and tamped into forms. This creates a lightweight, insulating, and sculptural infill wall system that is perfect for creating deep, soft window reveals and curved forms.

  • Straw Bale Construction: Using tightly bound bales of straw as massive insulating blocks. We treat each bale as a textured brick, stacking them to form the thick, profound silence of deeply insulated walls that feel protective and serene.

  • Fiber Reinforced Plasters: We mix natural fibers like Spanish moss, chopped straw, or hemp into our clay plasters. This prevents cracking and adds a subtle, tactile texture to every surface, turning walls into woven canvases that tell a story of their making.

  • Woven Installations: Beyond wall systems, we use these fibers in their raw state to create temporary artistic installations. We weave Spanish moss into nets, braid grasses into nest like structures, and create symbolic gestures that explore themes of shelter, memory, and interconnection.