System of Novelties

Interloop—Architecture is a Houston-based design office founded in 2001 by principals Dawn Finley and Mark Wamble, who both also teach at Rice University’s School of Architecture. The firm’s focus is on innovative building technologies, inventive forms, and precise material finishes. Their project types range from the design of custom furniture and fixtures to private residences, research complexes, and cultural institutions.

System of Novelties is the first book on Interloop—Architecture’s work to date, tracking the firm’s formation and trajectory. It operates between a monograph and a field guide, presenting novel works of architectural design within a broader context of influence, procedures, and techniques that are threaded from project to project over a period of two decades. It features a diverse collection of built and speculative designs that are framed through three research topics: Information – Shape, Procedure – Assembly, and Material – Pattern. All this is supplemented with graphic notes that synthetically connect the unique and recurring systems engaged in this innovative architectural practice. System of Novelties offers unique insights on innovative forms of contemporary practice in architecture and demonstrates the firm’s technical expertise with material, manufacturing, and delivery processes.