Prof. Lisa Moffitt tests “earth-wool recipes” at residency in Scotland

Associate Professor Lisa Moffitt spent a week at an artist’s residency in rural Scotland last month, testing wool fleece as part of a sustainable building method.

Dr. Moffitt used her time at Cove Park to develop a series of regenerative material models that incorporate a new material system – Scottish wool fleece – into a rammed earth mix.

“Wool offers tensile strength and insulative properties while also creating a curious furry surface that invites tactile engagement,” says Moffitt, who was at Cove Park from January 20 to 26.

This work will be featured in Forgotten Fleece Tales, a Scottish touring exhibition of textile arts, which opens in June 2025.

These material tests also further research related to Moffitt’s SSHRC Innovative Initiative Grant, Earth Work: Architecture’s Regenerative Material Models. Her research uses physical models, prototypes, and material experiments to visualize material and spatial processes and impacts of climate change.

Cove Park is an international residency at a 50-acre site in Argyll on Scotland’s west coast.

Moffitt is currently spending a sabbatical year as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Edinburgh.