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For the 2024 Bruges Triennale, which runs through September 1, New York studio SOL-IL has created the installation Common Thread, a wavelike tunnel that uses 3D knitted fabric. Inspired by the medieval lacemaking tradition of the city of Bruges in northwest Belgium, the work takes visitors on a journey through history, artisanry, and technology.
Sited in the courtyard of a 19th century monastery, Common Thread invites visitors to explore its undulating architectural pathway of 180 arches between past and present.
Opening off the street, the installation lures visitors into the green courtyard of the Capuchin Convent, which, open to the public for the first time for the Triennial, has been transformed into a meeting place thanks to Common Thread. The installation not only offers visitors an immersive experience but also establishes a conduit between two parts of the city.
Behind the project was the idea to pay homage to the centuries-old history of lacemaking and the way the women of Bruges have handed this traditional skill down across the generations. And it’s this tradition, still alive in workshops around the city, that inspired the architects to create this work with modern technology.
Through collaboration with Dr. Mariana Popescu from TU Delft and the use of a programmable 3D knitting machine, the SO-IL team explored the infinite geometric possibilities offered by modern manufacturing techniques. The result is this hi-tech membrane that presents ever-changing patterns and weaves, reminiscent of Hokusai’s The Great Wave.
The underlying structural system was informed by computational simulations and material samples in a collaboration with Summum Engineering.
>>> Discover the winners of the 2024 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture
Location: Bruges, Belgium
Dates: From April 13 to September 1, 2024
Courtyard Area: 1300 m2
Membrane Surface Area: 300 m2
Covered Area: 100 m2
Architect: SO-IL
Membrane Design & Production: Mariana Popescu, Anass Kariouh
Structures: Diederik Veenendaal, Alessio Vigorito, Anand Shah
Photography by Iwan Baan, courtesy of SO-IL
