diff --git a/include/mitsuba/core/octree.h b/include/mitsuba/core/octree.h
index 8cf687d9..7bef0e33 100644
--- a/include/mitsuba/core/octree.h
+++ b/include/mitsuba/core/octree.h
@@ -20,10 +20,50 @@
 #define __OCTREE_H
 
 #include <mitsuba/mitsuba.h>
-#include <mitsuba/core/aabb.h>
+#include <mitsuba/core/octree.h>
+#include <mitsuba/core/atomic.h>
 
 MTS_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
 
+
+/**
+ * \brief Implements a lock-free singly linked list.
+ */
+template <typename T> class LockFreeList {
+public:
+	struct ListItem {
+		T value;
+		ListItem *next;
+
+		inline ListItem(const T &value) :
+			value(value), next(NULL) { }
+	};
+
+	inline LockFreeList() : m_head(NULL) {}
+
+	~LockFreeList() {
+		ListItem *cur = m_head;
+		while (cur) {
+			ListItem *next = cur->next;
+			delete cur;
+			cur = next;
+		}
+	}
+
+	inline const ListItem *head() const {
+		return m_head;
+	}
+
+	void append(const T &value) {
+		ListItem *item = new ListItem(value);
+		ListItem **cur = &m_head;
+		while (!atomicCompareAndExchangePtr<ListItem>(cur, item, NULL))
+			cur = &((*cur)->next);
+	}
+private:
+	ListItem *m_head;
+};
+
 /**
  * \brief Generic multiple-reference octree.
  *
@@ -67,29 +107,34 @@ private:
 	struct OctreeNode {
 	public:
 		OctreeNode() {
-			pthread_rwlock_init(&lock, NULL);
 			for (int i=0; i<8; ++i)
 				children[i] = NULL;
 		}
 
 		~OctreeNode() {
-			pthread_rwlock_destroy(&lock);
 			for (int i=0; i<8; ++i) {
 				if (children[i])
 					delete children[i];
 			}
 		}
 
-		inline void readLock() const { pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&lock); }
-		inline void readUnlock() const { pthread_rwlock_unlock(&lock); }
-		inline void writeLock() { pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&lock); }
-		inline void writeUnlock() { pthread_rwlock_unlock(&lock); }
-
 		OctreeNode *children[8];
-		mutable pthread_rwlock_t lock;
-		std::vector<T> data;
+		LockFreeList<T> data;
 	};
 
+	/// Return the AABB for a child of the specified index
+	inline AABB childBounds(int child, const AABB &nodeAABB, const Point &center) const {
+		AABB childAABB;
+		childAABB.min.x = (child & 4) ? center.x : nodeAABB.min.x;
+		childAABB.max.x = (child & 4) ? nodeAABB.max.x : center.x;
+		childAABB.min.y = (child & 2) ? center.y : nodeAABB.min.y;
+		childAABB.max.y = (child & 2) ? nodeAABB.max.y : center.y;
+		childAABB.min.z = (child & 1) ? center.z : nodeAABB.min.z;
+		childAABB.max.z = (child & 1) ? nodeAABB.max.z : center.z;
+		return childAABB;
+	}
+
+
 	void insert(OctreeNode *node, const AABB &nodeAABB, const T &value, 
 			const AABB &coverage, Float diag2, int depth) {
 		/* Add the data item to the current octree node if the max. tree
@@ -97,51 +142,32 @@ private:
 		   than the current node size */
 		if (depth == m_maxDepth || 
 			(nodeAABB.getExtents().lengthSquared() < diag2)) {
-			node->writeLock();
-			node->data.push_back(value);
-			node->writeUnlock();
+			node->data.append(value);
 			return;
 		}
 
 		/* Otherwise: test for overlap */
 		const Point center = nodeAABB.getCenter();
-		bool over[8];
-		AABB childAABB;
 
-		over[0] = over[1] = over[2] = over[3] = (coverage.min.x <= center.x);
-		over[4] = over[5] = over[6] = over[7] = (coverage.max.x  > center.x);
-		over[0] &= (coverage.min.y <= center.y);
-		over[1] &= (coverage.min.y <= center.y);
-		over[4] &= (coverage.min.y <= center.y);
-		over[5] &= (coverage.min.y <= center.y);
-		over[2] &= (coverage.max.y  > center.y);
-		over[3] &= (coverage.max.y  > center.y);
-		over[6] &= (coverage.max.y  > center.y);
-		over[7] &= (coverage.max.y  > center.y);
-		over[0] &= (coverage.min.z <= center.z);
-		over[2] &= (coverage.min.z <= center.z);
-		over[4] &= (coverage.min.z <= center.z);
-		over[6] &= (coverage.min.z <= center.z);
-		over[1] &= (coverage.max.z  > center.z);
-		over[3] &= (coverage.max.z  > center.z);
-		over[5] &= (coverage.max.z  > center.z);
-		over[7] &= (coverage.max.z  > center.z);
+		/* Otherwise: test for overlap */
+		bool x[2] = { coverage.min.x <= center.x, coverage.max.x > center.x };
+		bool y[2] = { coverage.min.y <= center.y, coverage.max.y > center.y };
+		bool z[2] = { coverage.min.z <= center.z, coverage.max.z > center.z };
+		bool over[8] = { x[0] & y[0] & z[0], x[0] & y[0] & z[1],
+						 x[0] & y[1] & z[0], x[0] & y[1] & z[1],
+						 x[1] & y[0] & z[0], x[1] & y[0] & z[1],
+						 x[1] & y[1] & z[0], x[1] & y[1] & z[1] };
 
 		/* Recurse */
 		for (int child=0; child<8; ++child) {
 			if (!over[child])
 				continue;
 			if (!node->children[child]) {
-				node->writeLock();
-				node->children[child] = new OctreeNode();
-				node->writeUnlock();
+				OctreeNode *newNode = new OctreeNode();
+				if (!atomicCompareAndExchangePtr<OctreeNode>(&node->children[child], newNode, NULL))
+					delete newNode;
 			}
-			childAABB.min.x = (child & 4) ? center.x : nodeAABB.min.x;
-			childAABB.max.x = (child & 4) ? nodeAABB.max.x : center.x;
-			childAABB.min.y = (child & 2) ? center.y : nodeAABB.min.y;
-			childAABB.max.y = (child & 2) ? nodeAABB.max.y : center.y;
-			childAABB.min.z = (child & 1) ? center.z : nodeAABB.min.z;
-			childAABB.max.z = (child & 1) ? nodeAABB.max.z : center.z;
+			const AABB childAABB(childBounds(child, nodeAABB, center));
 			insert(node->children[child], childAABB,
 				value, coverage, diag2, depth+1);
 		}
@@ -152,25 +178,20 @@ private:
 			const AABB &nodeAABB, const Point &p, Functor &functor) const {
 		const Point center = nodeAABB.getCenter();
 
-		node->readLock();
-		for (size_t i=0; i<node->data.size(); ++i)
-			functor(node->data[i]);
+		const typename LockFreeList<T>::ListItem *item = node->data.head();
+		while (item) {
+			functor(item->value);
+			item = item->next;
+		}
 
 		int child = (p.x > center.x ? 4 : 0)
 				+ (p.y > center.y ? 2 : 0) 
 				+ (p.z > center.z ? 1 : 0);
 
 		OctreeNode *childNode = node->children[child];
-		node->readUnlock();
 
 		if (childNode) {
-			AABB childAABB;
-			childAABB.min.x = (child & 4) ? center.x : nodeAABB.min.x;
-			childAABB.max.x = (child & 4) ? nodeAABB.max.x : center.x;
-			childAABB.min.y = (child & 2) ? center.y : nodeAABB.min.y;
-			childAABB.max.y = (child & 2) ? nodeAABB.max.y : center.y;
-			childAABB.min.z = (child & 1) ? center.z : nodeAABB.min.z;
-			childAABB.max.z = (child & 1) ? nodeAABB.max.z : center.z;
+			const AABB childAABB(childBounds(child, nodeAABB, center));
 			lookup(node->children[child], childAABB, p, functor);
 		}
 	}
@@ -180,22 +201,16 @@ private:
 			Functor &functor) {
 		const Point center = nodeAABB.getCenter();
 
-		node->readLock();
-		for (size_t i=0; i<node->data.size(); ++i)
-			functor(node->data[i]);
-		node->readUnlock();
+		const typename LockFreeList<T>::ListItem *item = node->data.head();
+		while (item) {
+			functor(item->value);
+			item = item->next;
+		}
 
 		// Potential for much optimization..
 		for (int child=0; child<8; ++child) { 
 			if (node->children[child]) {
-				AABB childAABB;
-				childAABB.min.x = (child & 4) ? center.x : nodeAABB.min.x;
-				childAABB.max.x = (child & 4) ? nodeAABB.max.x : center.x;
-				childAABB.min.y = (child & 2) ? center.y : nodeAABB.min.y;
-				childAABB.max.y = (child & 2) ? nodeAABB.max.y : center.y;
-				childAABB.min.z = (child & 1) ? center.z : nodeAABB.min.z;
-				childAABB.max.z = (child & 1) ? nodeAABB.max.z : center.z;
-
+				const AABB childAABB(childBounds(child, nodeAABB, center));
 				if (childAABB.overlaps(sphere))
 					searchSphere(node->children[child], childAABB, sphere, functor);
 			}