Architecture and landscape are literally interwoven in this giant tapestry for the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR). What better way to make the dynamic landscape of BrabantStad visible and tangible than with a tapestry? Measuring 3 x 12 metres, the piece depicts a string of cities and towns interspersed by water and nature in a mosaic of Brabant province.
In 2013, the IABR– Projectatelier BrabantStad was launched by the IABR, Noord-Brabant province, BrabantStad (the municipalities of Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Breda and Helmond) and the Noord-Brabant waterboards. What would joining forces bring the cities of Brabant that they could not achieve on their own? In response to the stagnant spatial and economic development of the province, three architecture agencies were asked to envision new development models. Economic drivers including quality housing, agriculture, recreation and entrepreneurship were cleverly linked to water management, resulting in an accumulative development policy.
The results were incorporated into a map. The three agencies contributed to the design of the tapestry. With each colour marking a different geographical function, a vivid interplay of planes and lines arose. The tapestry was specially developed for the exhibition ‘Urban by Nature’ in the Kunsthal Rotterdam and has since been given a permanent place in the Brabantse Provinciehuis in Den Bosch.
The challenge was translating the original map into a woven piece without losing any of the detail. The tapestry is made almost entirely from cotton to achieve a flat surface, and consists of eight joined panels.
The IABR was founded in 2001 out of the belief that architecture, and especially urban design, is of great social importance. The IABR aims to contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the targets laid down in the Paris climate agreement.
The key to realising this is well-designed, socially inclusive and resilient cities. The two most important instruments that the IABR employs to achieve its objectives are IABR-Ateliers and the biennial itself. An IABR-Atelier is a long-term design research project that is always organised in partnership with governments and other stakeholders and works towards concrete, applicable solutions for existing assignments.
