WEAVE 3.0
Weave 3.0 was a proposal for a shading canopy of along the Paseo Ponti, a pedestrian street to be built in the Miami Design District. The project proposes using the initial 5ft width constraint of the Sunbrella Clarity fabric as a starting point to reinterpret the product's shading possibilities. In order to develop a comprehensive shading system, the project borrowed from the techniques associated with two tropical trades: palm frond weaving and shutter fabrication. The project elaborated on these local practices to create a lo-tech, kinetic system adaptable to different weather conditions through user interaction. The result is a path fully protected by a static woven canopy intermittently supported by faceted columns and interrupted by the existing mature trees. The triaxial weaving technique, used to interlace the fabric pieces, provides maximum density (3.0), strength and water-tightness to the interwoven shade. The horizontal weave’s strands (the warp) extend past the edges of the field and become shutter-like structures that allow the boundaries of the project to be customizable using a crank system. These adjustable perimeter pods are composed of four fabric pieces that drop along a track to become lounging hammocks, or slide horizontally to provide a canopy that is fully covered (full sun protection), partially covered or fully open (full night sky view). These hammock pods appear sporadically along Paseo Ponti, creating moments of pause along the meandering path, where wanderers can relax adjacent to the storefronts. They densify on Paradise Plaza activating the space and further defining it as a place of gathering. The Bahamian inspired colorful pattern created by the orange, yellow and grey ribbons is multiplied by the faceted-mirrored columns, creating a feeling of being enveloped by the fabric while dematerializing the structure. Finally, the self-cleaning, water resistance and flexibility of the fabric allowed for the creation of an interactive outdoor room that responds to quotidian climate changes and extend the shopping experience to the street.