Curiosity in Practice: ArchiCrochet

At WHLC, we believe great design is driven by curiosity. That's why we encourage our team members to pursue research, creative exploration, and opportunities that expand how we think about the built environment. 

Designer Skylar Vollmer embodies that spirit. What began as an undergraduate research project at LSU has evolved into ArchiCrochet, an ongoing investigation into the intersection of computational design, material experimentation, and handcraft. Skylar presented her research in at 2025 the International Association of Shell Structures (IASS) conference in Mexico City, earning recognition from academic and professional audiences alike. 

We're proud to share her work here, not only because of the innovative ideas it explores, but because it reflects the creativity, dedication, and intellectual curiosity that strengthen our practice every day.

What is ArchiCrochet?

ArchiCrochet is a line of research exploring the connection between parametric design and physical fabrication through what I call code-to-crochet. 

The idea began when my mentor and professor, Dr. Farzaneh Oghazian, encouraged me to apply for the 2024–2025 LSU Undergraduate Researcher’s Grant. What began as a strange idea grew into two years of research exploring crochet as an architectural textile, a field that remains understudied because crochet can’t be automated. 

With little more than code, a crochet hook, an unbelievable amount of yarn, and the support of my colleagues and friends, ArchiCrochet has evolved beyond my initial imaginations. 

Understanding Crochet

What's the difference between knit and crochet?
Knitting creates a series of interlocking loops with two or more needles. Multiple loops, or stitches, are kept open at once, allowing the fabric to form through rows of connected loops, resulting in a looser structure. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) knitting machines automate the process with a back-and-forth movement. 

Crochet uses a single hook to pull yarn though loops one at a time, completing each before the next begins, resulting in a denser structure. Unlike knitting, crochet cannot be automated by a machine. The twists and turns of a human wrist that controls tension could only be replicated by expensive robotic arms. Even then, each crochet stitch would require specific programming and tensioning, a technology that is not yet available.

In architectural contexts, knit is used in lightweight tensile structures commonly characterized as “un-touchable exhibitions,” or something meant to “float” overhead. Crochet is also exhibited similarly, like the recent the Cielo Tejido created for the world cup by women artisans in the town of Etzatlán, Jalisco, Mexico. Other examples are SunForceOceanLife, by Ernesto Neto and Wonder Space II by Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam.  

Phase I - ArchiCrochet: Bridging Architecture and Crocheting Through a Fabricated Tension Structure

For the first phase of my research, I focused on establishing a digital-to-physical workflow, which was a top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top non-linear approach.

My primary precedent was the Design 3 of Continua in the plan, a weaving ceramic sculpture by ceramicist Erwin Hauer. I wanted to create a complex, multi-layered mesh for my pavilion through crochet. The pattern consisted of one ‘independent textile’, or a textile created without any restraints, and one ‘dependent textile’, a textile created by weaving through the independent textile to create the combined complex mesh.

I developed a code that allowed me to generate forms in Grasshopper, a visual programming app, and then subdivide them into points that would count as stitches. 

Three 5”x5” crochet swatches were fabricated using different stitch methods and analyzed for stitch dimensions. The double crochet stitch was selected for its superior tensile performance. 

Using these parameters to generate a cone with Grasshopper optimized the code for a continuous crochet workflow, establishing the foundation for the project’s development. 

The final code successfully generated a double-curved saddle shaped pavilion. A framework was established from the initial sketch then ran through the form-finding process. Next, a hexagonal mesh subdivided into two independent and one dependent textiles was  applied over the form. 

Using the initial code, I crocheted a single module with worsted weight, acrylic yarn and a 5mm crochet hook based on row point data.  A simplification step was included to reduce the design to its basic logic within the workflow.

By deconstructing the components into spheres and cones, the code generated a pattern that was easier to read. The pattern divided the unrolled cone into  individual stitches worked continuously, meaning that each row does not terminate upon itself, but joins the following row in a growing spiral. 

Cones were sewn into a clusters of three and then combined to create the complex mesh. Labels created using 3D printed buttons were sewn onto each cluster providing a clear map for connection points. Fabrication and construction of the textile took around 170 hours of crocheting and sewing.

The pavilion structure designed to hold the crochet presented its own challenges. Initially, I designed a structure to hold the textile using tent poles secured to a wooden base with brackets. The tension was off completely, but the concept was emerging.  

In April of 2025, I presented my research at Discover Day LSU. Next, I was accepted to present at the 2025 International Association of Shell Structures (IASS) conference in Mexico City, posing a new question. Can I create a modular pavilion that fits in a suitcase and passes weight limits at the airport?  

The final structure can be constructed in an hour by a small team. The modular base unfolds, PVC pipes and interstitial tensioning wood are attached using peg-in-hole connections, and tent poles are fitted onto the truss structures, with designated trusses supporting the side and top compression elements. Finally, the arches are inserted into the PVC connections anchored to the base. 

The pavilion weighed 57 pounds, and was transported in a checked bag to Mexico City for presentation, where it won a special commendation for its transportability and for exploring the potential of the conventional craft of crochet, scaled into structural art. 

What Now?

One question was asked by several professionals during my presentation at the IASS conference in Mexico City, "Why crochet?". They wanted to know what benefits to architecture could be worth hundreds of hours of coding and hand fabrication, which inspired phase two of my research.

How does structural failure propagate differently through crocheted and knitted textile systems?

As I began my research, I was simultaneously designing the second ArchiCrochet Pavilion for presentation at the IASS 2026 conference in Turin, Italy in September 2026. This year's theme of sustainability, re-use, and new design paradigms really hit home. My goals were to create a crochet pavilion using only "waste" yarn recycled from discarded sweaters and to improve issues with tensioning from the first pavilion. 

Stay tuned for ArchiCrochet Phase II!

Credits

Cielo Tejido, Etzatlán, Jalisco, Mexico. Photo Credit: Luisalvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Design 3, continua in the plane, by Erwin Hauer. Photo Credit: PfarreLiesing, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons