Thirteen of the world's leading architects will be exposed to the virtues of wool during a week-long visit to the South Island.
The architects will be shown the merits of wool, visit farms, absorb South Island scenery and then follow the fibre from the sheep's back to finished products before being tasked with designing a hotel which makes maximum use of wool in every aspect of the building.
The project was part of the International Wool Textile Organisation's international wool promotion programme and was mostly funded by the National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests (NCNZWI).
The chairman of that body, Stephen Fookes, said in an interview that international surveys showed a generation of people had grown up unaware of the merits of wool, and that included architects, designers and interior decorators.
"We found the younger generation has not put wool on the agenda because they do not understand it."
By targeting the world's elite architects, Mr Fookes said the project would not only expose them to wool, but result in a book to be presented at international fairs and architectural conferences in Europe, Asia and North America and promoted as an architectural template.
The visiting architects come from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
While the NCNZWI was hosting the visit, Mr Fookes said it was conceived by the AIT Online architecture magazine which has 40,000 members world wide.
He said the investment should have a return for New Zealand and its farmers.
"From a farmer's perspective, I would think the investment in this is very, very small in global terms, but it is an opportunity to raise the profile, and by raising the profile we should increase demand."
The architects arrived last Thursday and will present their designs tomorrow.
In addition to the architect's programme, the national council will also announce it is adopting the five-year wool renaissance project initiated in January by Prince Charles.
The project is aimed at creating an awareness of the characteristics of wool and to unite wool producing farmers throughout the Commonwealth and growing demand for wool.
Mr Fookes said a third initiative led by the council was to lobby European Governments and local authorities to change building specification standards.
In some regions, producers of synthetic products have blocked wool carpets and textiles by ensuring only synthetic products can be specified by architects.