Inhabiting the Boundary Condition - A Conversation with Thom Mayne

Nov 4, 2026

The interview with architect Thom Mayne explores his book Strange Networks and the speculative drawings and reliefs that form the basis of the series. The work is described as a deliberate architectural act aimed at revealing incidental forms and topologies, while expanding Mayne’s architectural language. It links his early career ideals to continuing design interests expressed through lithographic prints, studies, and sculptural “drawdels.” The conversation highlights boundaries, control and release, chance operations, and the tension between designed and non-designed, including how ordered networks can approach chaos.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Guest-Editor Interview

Purpose of Strange Networks

Mayne’s Design Philosophy and Media

Viola Ago ‘Strange Networks’Inhabiting the Boundary Condition A Conversation with Thom Mayne Thom Mayne, Memphshan ,'Strange Networks', 2011 The vitality of the work and its potential to generate architectonic combinations is infinite – a pure act of architecture. 68 15542769, 2022, 2, Downloaded from [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions (](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions ()[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions)) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License Guest-Editor of this 2 Viola Ago interviewed the Pritzker Prizewinning architect Thom Mayne, founding member of SCI-Arc and co-founder of internationally renowned architectural firm Morphosis, on the publication of his recent book Strange Networks. Also the collective name of his series of speculative drawings and reliefs created over a number of years,‘Strange Networks’ is an attempt to reveal incidental architectural forms and topologies to expand his architectural language. Here he explains the motivation behind the book and its contents. 69 15542769, 2022, 2, Downloaded from [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions (](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions ()[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions)) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License Thom Mayne is one of a generation of architects who in the 1970s and 1980s began his career with the ideals of reinvigorating architecture and its alignment with modern society. Now in his 70s, and long past the struggles of his early practice when, faute de mieux, his architecture was primarily conceptual – drawn, not built – the interests that shape his design philosophy are still expressed in lithographic prints, studies, and the 2½ -dimensional sculptural works he calls ‘drawdels’ for their amalgamation of the techniques of drawing and modelling. The conceptual improvisations and sculptural work he creates in accidental fashion in his experiments with forms and materiality go onto influence his architecture. Thom Mayne, Composite XV ll (Tian boro)‘Strange Networks’, 2013 , opposite: The series is part of Mayne’s efforts to dislocate his architectural self and create objects, drawings and topologies that he cannot preconceive, thereby provoking new un-predetermined thoughts and forms. Thom Mayne, Beimington , ‘Strange Networks’, 2011 below: The ‘Strange Networks’ suite of explorations is an exercise in combining chance operations with Mayne’s highly developed personal sense of composition gleaned over decades of practice. 70 15542769, 2022, 2, Downloaded from [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions (](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.2795 by Tsinghua University Library, Wiley Online Library on [05/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions ()[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions)) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License Discovering Chance His book Strange Networks (2021)1 features his recent theoretical investigations into the prima materia of his architectural formal language. The book is huge; friends have

FAQs

What is Strange Networks, according to the conversation?

Strange Networks refers both to Thom Mayne’s recent book and to a collective series of speculative drawings and reliefs made over many years.

What themes are central to the Strange Networks explorations?

The series focuses on boundaries, control and release, chance and unpredictability, fragments, and works in progress, exploring how ordered systems can resemble chaos.

How does Thom Mayne combine chance with architectural composition?

He treats the explorations as an exercise in combining chance operations with his developed sense of composition, producing forms and topologies he could not pre-conceive.

Nov 4, 2026

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