DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
: The idea of the greening of a house and mind to create a series of living and working spaces.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
: A goal was to achieve a project with elegance and a gritty working ethic of what could constitute a home. A site of experimentation, ever-changing by the natural occurrence of growth and decay.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
: Working on it to become a reality.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
: From start to finish a 6 month journey of sketching design ideas and simple geometries to placing on the computer as a 3D model and rendering images to convey the 'spirit' of the work.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
: An inspiration to explore the personable space of the house, relative to the body / inhabitants. Of movement, settling, light penetration to the ultimate longevity of the work - from new to old. It was the inter-link of the garden that like cells of the body constantly renewed to create a living entity.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
: The concept of cage is one of containment. The idea of taking an empty lot, surrounded by industrial buildings a planting with a new landscape. The idea of containment is now turned upside down, with now the outside world caged.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
: To submit as many state is to test a theory, against peers and to move the design beyond your own boundaries. It is here that the judging is now also by the submitter. It is a chance to sit back and look at a project from a completely new perspective.