IT IS sometimes described as a giant phallic symbol on Sydney's skyline. It seems fitting, then, that architects have proposed sheathing the unloved pile in a vast, elastic mesh.

The Sydney branch of the multinational firm Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) wants to transform the University of Technology Sydney tower into a ''dynamic sculptural icon'' by wrapping it in a lightweight, composite textile that comes to life at night.

LAVA's German-born director, Chris Bosse. Credit:Ben Rushton

LAVA's German-born director, Chris Bosse, pioneered the radical approach to building redesign, described by London's The Independent as ''condom architecture''.

''The UTS building was a state-of-the-art structure when it was designed in the '60s,'' Mr Bosse said. ''But it needs a new lease of life. This technique - which would essentially provide a new skin, so to speak - is the most sustainable way to do it.''