How Have the Techniques and Processes Used Within Fashion and Textiles Influenced Architectural Design?
Jonathan Ramdeen
Introduction Fashion and architecture have long been known to have this strong relationship with each other with both disciplines taking inspiration from each other. For me, I was more knowledgeable on the effect that architecture had had on fashion- in particular design with various exhibitions and shows showcasing such material. The likes of Japanese designers like Kawakubo, Yamamoto and Miyake for example, all feature structural elements to their garments heavily influenced from architecture. However I was less aware of the effect that fashion has had on architecture, and as a prospective architect I was very keen to investigate this. Increasingly architects are looking towards fashion design and the techniques exercised in dressmaking to achieve these more complex and fluid forms out of the standard ‘hard’ building materials. Techniques like weaving, draping, pleating, printing, folding and wrapping have been sources of inspiration for architects, and this has been due to the vast developments in technology and design software which has allowed the advancements of material technology to continue.
Curtain Wall House, Shigeru Ban Architects
Textiles The use of fabrics and textiles has enabled fashion designers to create some of the most fluid pieces of work. And it is this aspect that architects have begun to gravitate towards and are aspiring to achieve with their designs and buildings. They too wish to have the ability to create fluid flowing structures and spaces., ‘no longer do they [architects] want static and inert spaces’. The use of such materials allows this kind of freedom and flexibility. Shigeru Ban’s Curtain Wall house is a perfect example of this. The house situated in Tokyo has an enormous two - story high fabric curtain which covers two sides of the house which acts as an exterior wall system along with a series of sliding glass doors. When drawn shut it provides privacy as well as protection. The use of this giant fabric curtain gives the exterior a great sense of fluidity due to the movability and nature of fabric. however I do feel that the interior does look a little enclosed and dark due to the lack of windows. The interior has been described as having a ‘cocoon-like sense of privacy’. But I think this is where the glass sliding doors come into play. The ability to slide the curtains allows for the outer area to act almost like a balcony. Because the curtain is split into two it will allow for you to have a partial opening to allow light in without completely exposing the interior and privacy. This kind of flexibility is unparalleled and I think you would only be able to achieve a design like this with the use of a textile material that provides this kind of transformability of spaces with ease.
Stephen Lawrence Center, Adjaye Associates
TOD’S, Toyo Ito Architects
Prints and Patterns The use of prints and patterns has long been used within textiles and fashion as a decorative use. Patterns have been heavily used within cultural textiles and architects have taken the qualities of pattern and prints from textiles, and incorporated them into their architectural designs. Printing on glass and even using pattern as a stimulus for structural elements within a build. David Adjaye has taken a more parallel approach to fashion with his use of pattern and print by using it as a decorative feature. Often within his builds he uses prints on glass to add a subtle aesthetic. Take for example the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford. There is a detailed pattern which covers the glass of one of the facades where the entrance is designed by artist Chris Ofili. The pattern looks to be printed or applied to the glass and provides something which is visually pleasing from close range. What is also quite clever is the way that the pattern creates a translucency form a further range providing an effect similar to that of a tinted window. Japanese architect Toyo Ito however has taken a less direct but more creative approach to his use of pattern within his work. Instead he has used the pattern to create the structure for his TOD’S Ometesando building in Tokyo, a similar idea to that used in his Serpetine Gallery in London. The pattern which creates the structure is based on the elm trees that line the street in which the building is located which I think is a really nice touch. The gaps in the structured pattern are filled with glass which allow light into the building and in the evening when the building is lit inside, there is a silhouetted effect from the trees which kind of helps the building blend into the street. The concrete pattern also acts and serves as divisions of space, breaking the building up into different sections and departments etc. I think the use of such a pattern is great in this build, as it can be seen both on the interior and exterior providing a great look to the shop. As well as this it also has some great practical uses which make the design really ingenious.
Temple, Heatherwick Studio
Draping Architects have been inspired by the drapery and folds created by fashion designers within textiles, and have tried to take these ideas and amalgamate it into their own professional practice. They have done so by transcribing these folds into building skins and exteriors which are both fluid and sturdy. Some of the work produced using such techniques has been amazing as architects take materials like steel and metal, transforming them into the most gentle of folds. The Temple project by Heatherwick Studio is a great example of how draping has been used as a source of inspiration to create such a wonderful piece of architectural design. The site situated in Kagoshima, Japan is on a previous battle ground offering views from a hillside looking over Kagoshima and across the sea towards the Sakurajima volcano. It is a buddhist temple dedicated to a samurai hero who died on the site. The design is just amazing as the steel and timber structure create extraordinary folds which are meant to represent the cloth the Buddha sits on and the silk which is worn by the priest. The response to the materials is magnificently soft which situates the Temple in the hillside comfortably as well as accomplishing this desire to resemble cloth. The use of the contour like building system has provided an ease of construction as it can be built in layers, creating a three-dimensional shape out of two-dimensional pieces. This project just shows the incredible things that you can create using or employing this technique of draping. It allows you to create these soft curves and forms which all fall seamlessly within each other giving off a real feeling of coherence and unison of the whole building.
Docks en Seine, Jakob and MacFarlane Architects
Wrapping Fashion designers have long been wrapping the body with clothing and have been pushing the way in which their garments respond and react to the contours of the figure. Similarly architects have begun to re-think how they could ‘wrap’ a building, looking at ways to re-establish what the exterior of a building can look like and how it sits within its surroundings. Again these advancements material technology have allowed architects to push their design ideas forward in creating really clever unique building possibilities. The Docks of Paris - City of Fashion Design is a project by Jakob and MacFarlane who converted an old industrial dock into a cultural centre for fashion and design. They retained the original concrete building that was situated on site and then added this ‘plug on’ system which semi wrapped the building, adding a new framework on to the top. The new structure is made from green steel tubing and printed glass and works coincidently with the previous structure. The structural system that supports the skin is a deformation of the grid that was in the original docking yard used to represent a growth of the building. The skin does not only provide a really nice view showing the contrast between the lime green and grey concrete along the river Siene, but it also provides a continuous public path through the museum from the lower levels right through to the top deck. Conversion projects like this really show off the way in which contemporary ideas and constructions can work with those of previous generations. It is also a testament to the way in which wrapping can work, even when the entire building is not transformed for instance. Other implementations of wrapping, perhaps on other conversions act as an outer skin, offering protection from the elements like clothing, or even to add a cohesion between it and its surroundings. Newer builds go on creating a smoother exterior sometimes blending facades and even roof structures into one, leaving it at times difficult to distinguish a buildings frame.
IAC Building, Frank Ghery Partners
Pleating Fashion designers have been using the pleating techniques for a while to create garments and pieces with amplifying volume and unusual textures, surfaces and forms. Some architects have also grown and shown a likening towards pleating, perhaps inspired by manipulation of surface and sculptural form that some designers like Miyake have been able to achieve. Frank Ghery’s IAC building in New York implements a pleating like technique to respond to the clients request of wanting a building to look like the sail of a ship next to the hudson river. The building is made entirely from glass and by the look of it you can see just how good the craftsmanship was. Each bit of glass had to be bent through a cold warping process on site to get the curvature of each panel to fit. I think the building looks really cool and actually cant believe Ghery was able to produce this kind of flowing shape using glass. This was made possible with the use of the tilted concrete superstructure allowing the geometry and curves to act in this way. The pleating like technique really does give the building volume and allow for the volume to act in many different directions which does in fact give that really fluid material-like feel to it similar to that of a sail. I also really like the white dots of enamel which add colour to the building. This use and inspiration of the pleating technique really shows off the possibilities of shapes and forms that you can create. It allows you to really redefine what a building can look like creating the most amazing sculptural, crazy, cool designs.
Bridge of Aspiration, Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Folding Architects have been using folding techniques since the late nineteen hundreds, using it to manipulate structure and volumetric form. They have also used these techniques to visually create something that plays with the dramatics of light and shadow both on the interior and exterior. A prime example of these techniques is Wilkinson Eyre Architects design for The Royal Ballet School’s : Bridge of Aspiration, which makes use of clever folding and pleating techniques to create a visually deceptive bridge which links the ballet school and The Royal Opera house. The bridge is made up of 23 ‘portals’ and glass ‘intervals’ which are supported by an aluminium spine beam. The whole structure is lightweight and semi-transparent allowing a good amount of light into the walkway which shows off the folds on the interior. What is clever is how the 4 degree rotation of each portal is used to connect the two openings that are not aligned laterally or in elevation. This has created a structure similar to that of an extended accordion. The outcome is a beautiful calming, elegant bridge which from the interior looks very interesting and perhaps puzzling. It is really fitting with the ballet school as it ‘evokes the fluidity and grace of dance’. I’m really impressed on how well the folding has worked, as it really does almost dramatize the bridge playing with the light that enters. I think this is an excellent example of how these techniques of folding can be used as both something that can be visually very pleasing, as well as a design solution.The folding I feel really does give that feeling of fluidity and calmness and almost reminds me of the ocean, with the waves imploding on themselves.
Beijing Olympic Stadium, Herzog & de Meuron Architects
Weaving Architects have begun to adopt the textile technique of weaving into their designs using it to create complex intertwined interior spaces, a connection between different spatial volumes as well as creating unorthodox textures and surfaces. The Main Stadium of the 2008 Beijing olympic games designed by Herzog and de Meuron is a project that has embraced and implemented this idea of weaving in more ways than one. Initially looking at the stadium its bird nest woven like structure it is visually stunning, especially when it is fully lit. What’s great is that not only does it resemble a birds nest, but it is also a self supporting structure. The steel basket weave acts as a load bearing structural skin, which also integrates all parts of the stadium including the facades, stairs, bowl structure and roof. This design shows the many benefits of using weaving within designs. It can aesthetically look fantastic, creating opportunities for structure and support which is guaranteed with a woven frame or structure. It can also help dictate the spatial design and awareness of a building.
Conclusion From the number of examples that I have shown, it is clear architectural design has taken and learnt so much from the techniques used both in textiles and fashion design. With such a great deal inspired from the fashion and textiles it is almost quite scary that this is only a small percentage of the techniques and processed used within the industry. It gives you a scope to the vast range and variety occupied within this field, and how it is constantly growing and developing. I am really glad that I chose this area of research as I have learnt so much. I have been able to expand on my knowledge of architects and designers - some of which I knew, and some that I didn’t. I have also been exposed to some amazing projects and pieces of design which have left me inspired and even more enthusiastic to go into a career within this field. It has also made me more aware of architectural design near and around London.
Bibliography Books Hodge,B., Mears,P. and Sidlauskas,S. (2006) Skin & Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, London, Thames & hudson Miles, G and Catteral, C (2008) Skin & Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture -Exhibition Guidebook London, Somerset House Quinn, B (2003) The Fashion of Architecture Oxford, Berg Websites guardian.co.uk toyo-ito.co.jp shigerubanarchitects.com heatherwick.com jakobmacfarlane.com iacbuilding.com wilkinsoneyre.com stephenlawrence.org.uk egothemag.com archdaily.com somersethouse.org.uk