YEAR
2026
A single material source transformed into structure, surface and softness.
This project explores how paper mulberry bark, a by-product of forestry and traditional papermaking, can be transformed into a versatile material system. By processing the bark into different material states, it becomes structural elements, woven surfaces and soft filling fibres. Together, these components form a regenerative furniture system built entirely from a single biological source.
I grew up hearing stories about my grandmother’s village, where bark has been harvested for generations to make handmade paper. The trees are never cut down. Each year the bark is carefully removed, the fibres are processed, and the material eventually returns to the land.
When I visited years later, I realised this was not just a craft but a complete natural cycle — a way of taking from a tree without destroying it. This project grows from that discovery, exploring how traditional knowledge can inform a contemporary regenerative material system.
About the project
Paper mulberry bark contains long, interlocking fibres that give the material a naturally high tensile strength. When broken down and recompressed through pulping and moulding, these fibres form a dense bio-composite capable of carrying structural loads. Once dried, the moulded bark bricks become rigid, machinable components that can be drilled, cut and sanded without significant cracking.
The structural system draws inspiration from the overlapping geometry of traditional Chinese roof tiles. In historic tiled roofs, individual ceramic elements are arranged in repeating arches, allowing weight to be transferred and distributed across the surface through compression. This project translates a similar principle into modular bark bricks. The components are stacked and interlocked so that the structure stabilises itself through weight and compression rather than relying on adhesives.
Each unit is precisely drilled and assembled using wooden dowels, creating a reversible joinery system that allows the structure to be disassembled and repaired. The arch-like stacking geometry enables the material to work collectively, distributing load across multiple elements while maintaining overall structural stability.
Beyond structure, different fibre states within the same bark stream are used to create surface and soft components. Peeled bark layers are woven into the structure to form natural textile surfaces, while shorter fibres and processing residues are repurposed as filling material. By working with the full material spectrum of the bark, the project demonstrates how a single biological resource can generate structural, tactile and soft material applications within one regenerative system.
Smooth Scroll
This will hide itself!
This will hide itself!
构 - The Same Tree
Mulberry tree bark re-engineered into a regenerative material system.
YEAR
2026
A single material source transformed into structure, surface and softness.
This project explores how paper mulberry bark, a by-product of forestry and traditional papermaking, can be transformed into a versatile material system. By processing the bark into different material states, it becomes structural elements, woven surfaces and soft filling fibres. Together, these components form a regenerative furniture system built entirely from a single biological source.
I grew up hearing stories about my grandmother’s village, where bark has been harvested for generations to make handmade paper. The trees are never cut down. Each year the bark is carefully removed, the fibres are processed, and the material eventually returns to the land.
When I visited years later, I realised this was not just a craft but a complete natural cycle — a way of taking from a tree without destroying it. This project grows from that discovery, exploring how traditional knowledge can inform a contemporary regenerative material system.
About the project
Paper mulberry bark contains long, interlocking fibres that give the material a naturally high tensile strength. When broken down and recompressed through pulping and moulding, these fibres form a dense bio-composite capable of carrying structural loads. Once dried, the moulded bark bricks become rigid, machinable components that can be drilled, cut and sanded without significant cracking.
The structural system draws inspiration from the overlapping geometry of traditional Chinese roof tiles. In historic tiled roofs, individual ceramic elements are arranged in repeating arches, allowing weight to be transferred and distributed across the surface through compression. This project translates a similar principle into modular bark bricks. The components are stacked and interlocked so that the structure stabilises itself through weight and compression rather than relying on adhesives.
Each unit is precisely drilled and assembled using wooden dowels, creating a reversible joinery system that allows the structure to be disassembled and repaired. The arch-like stacking geometry enables the material to work collectively, distributing load across multiple elements while maintaining overall structural stability.
Beyond structure, different fibre states within the same bark stream are used to create surface and soft components. Peeled bark layers are woven into the structure to form natural textile surfaces, while shorter fibres and processing residues are repurposed as filling material. By working with the full material spectrum of the bark, the project demonstrates how a single biological resource can generate structural, tactile and soft material applications within one regenerative system.
Smooth Scroll
This will hide itself!
This will hide itself!
构 - The Same Tree
Mulberry tree bark re-engineered into a regenerative material system.
YEAR
2026
A single material source transformed into structure, surface and softness.
This project explores how paper mulberry bark, a by-product of forestry and traditional papermaking, can be transformed into a versatile material system. By processing the bark into different material states, it becomes structural elements, woven surfaces and soft filling fibres. Together, these components form a regenerative furniture system built entirely from a single biological source.
I grew up hearing stories about my grandmother’s village, where bark has been harvested for generations to make handmade paper. The trees are never cut down. Each year the bark is carefully removed, the fibres are processed, and the material eventually returns to the land.
When I visited years later, I realised this was not just a craft but a complete natural cycle — a way of taking from a tree without destroying it. This project grows from that discovery, exploring how traditional knowledge can inform a contemporary regenerative material system.
About the project
Paper mulberry bark contains long, interlocking fibres that give the material a naturally high tensile strength. When broken down and recompressed through pulping and moulding, these fibres form a dense bio-composite capable of carrying structural loads. Once dried, the moulded bark bricks become rigid, machinable components that can be drilled, cut and sanded without significant cracking.
The structural system draws inspiration from the overlapping geometry of traditional Chinese roof tiles. In historic tiled roofs, individual ceramic elements are arranged in repeating arches, allowing weight to be transferred and distributed across the surface through compression. This project translates a similar principle into modular bark bricks. The components are stacked and interlocked so that the structure stabilises itself through weight and compression rather than relying on adhesives.
Each unit is precisely drilled and assembled using wooden dowels, creating a reversible joinery system that allows the structure to be disassembled and repaired. The arch-like stacking geometry enables the material to work collectively, distributing load across multiple elements while maintaining overall structural stability.
Beyond structure, different fibre states within the same bark stream are used to create surface and soft components. Peeled bark layers are woven into the structure to form natural textile surfaces, while shorter fibres and processing residues are repurposed as filling material. By working with the full material spectrum of the bark, the project demonstrates how a single biological resource can generate structural, tactile and soft material applications within one regenerative system.
Smooth Scroll
This will hide itself!
This will hide itself!