2024
At the beginning of the project, the team asked a question that was simple yet profound: What if architecture could be created by the hands of the many, not just the few?
The team was united by the belief that architecture should grow from the needs, voices, and creativity of the communities it serves. The team re-imagined sustainable design as a participatory process, embodied by the loom, a framework for turning discarded materials into something meaningful, created in collaboration with fashion designer Janelle Abbott.
Every element for the pavilion was either borrowed or diverted from waste streams, ensuring there was no lasting environmental footprint. As the project evolved, it also became a challenge to systemic barriers that exclude marginalized voices. By re-framing building as a communal act, Loom to Bloom showed how design can drive social change. The resulting pavilion stands as a living archive of collaboration, proving that shared challenges lead to shared solutions.
Loom to Bloom stems from the idea that sustainable design is not just about materials or energy, it is about creating systems that empower communities to thrive.
Photography: Simba Mafundikwa & EJ Deasis