Folly/Function is a design/build competition co-sponsored by The Architectural League and Socrates Sculpture Park, which invites emerging architects and designers to propose contemporary interpretations of the architectural folly, traditionally a fanciful, small-scale building or pavilion sited in a garden or landscape to frame a view or serve as a conversation piece.
Hou de Sousa won the 2016 competition with their durable structure: Sticks. They received a grant and a two-month residency in Socrates Sculpture Park’s outdoor studio, in addition to the opportunity to build their project to scale for exhibition in the park.
This publication includes a description of the project by the architects, a transcript of a roundtable discussion with members of the League, the jury, and Socrates with the architects, as well as a survey of notable entries from this year’s competition.