Project Overview
This mobile studio unit was designed in collaboration with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. The design process began with an exploration of the tribe’s material history, spatial traditions, and connections to land and collective memory. Understanding the significance of the grass house, the tribe’s traditional architectural form, became central to the design inquiry, not as a nostalgic reference, but as a structural and conceptual framework adaptable to contemporary fabrication methods and design tools.

Cultural and Structural Precedent
The Wichita grass house is a domed, ribbed structure constructed through an interdependent assembly of vertical stakes, horizontal poles, and a flexible latticework of smaller elements. This project interprets that logic through a digital design methodology and a CNC-fabricated plywood framing system. The approach aims to preserve the systemic logic and spatial clarity of the historic precedent while translating it into flat-pack, precision-cut elements that are easily assembled on-site.

The system follows the same construction sequencing found in traditional methods: vertical ribs are installed first, followed by horizontal struts that weave through or across the frame. In this version, a lattice of curved plywood ribs and panels interlocks through notching and friction fit, creating a rigid monolithic structure without relying on extensive fasteners. Each piece is digitally labeled, marked, and slot-assembled using rubber mallets, requiring only minimal tools and a basic level of skill, reinforcing the community-driven ethos behind traditional Wichita construction.

Digital Fabrication and Programming Workflow
While the physical system is simple in appearance, its performance depends on an advanced design-to-fabrication workflow. The project relied heavily on generative scripting and parametric modeling to establish a responsive geometry engine. Every design change, whether shifting a window, modifying the thickness of plywood, or integrating a functional element like a desk, triggered recalculations across the entire system.

The code not only defined formal geometry, but also automated key fabrication details: notch locations, tab depths, connection tolerances, and material offsets. Structural thicknesses were increased in high-load zones, and the waffle grid pattern adjusted in real-time to accommodate interior programmatic features. This enabled fluid iteration during design development while maintaining fabrication accuracy to within 1/128 of an inch.

Assembly Logic
The framing system was designed to be erected rapidly with limited labor. Traditional construction methods often make framing one of the most labor-intensive phases of a project. Here, by contrast, the digital fabrication strategy reduced that timeline significantly, enabling full structural assembly in under 6 hours. The result is a space where all surfaces, walls, ceilings, furnishings, are integrated into a continuous ribbed structure, simultaneously structural, spatial, and functional.

Material Expression
All components are fabricated from standard plywood sheets, utilizing nested cutting strategies to reduce waste and maximize efficiency. The warm tone and grain of the plywood remain exposed throughout the interior, emphasizing the legibility of the system and reinforcing the logic of the build. Exterior cladding consists of translucent polycarbonate panels, wrapping the structure in a lightweight, protective shell while allowing diffuse light to permeate during the day.

Conclusion
This project operates at the intersection of indigenous building wisdom and contemporary digital practice. Rather than reproducing the form of the grass house, it re-engages its methods, emphasizing collective construction, economy of materials, and a clear structural logic. The result is a compact, adaptable space rooted in cultural lineage and constructed through precision-driven digital craft.