Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva-based architectural studio Leopold Banchini Architects complete a new traditional textile weaving facility for the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities that will invigorate the local crafts industry across the country.
The architects’ new textile factory is constructed on a 340-square-meter plot that would be both a communal space and a garden for the local craftsmen of Bani Jamrah.
The area of Bani Jamrah is known for its traditional weaving technique using dry date palm leaves on strong surfaces.
The Al Naseej Textile Factory by Leopold Banchini Architects is built following local architecture norms – known as the Arish structure- where the architecture of the building protects both the textile industry and resists against extreme climate conditions of the Arabian peninsula for centuries.
The building, drawn on an irregular layout, is arranged on a gridded plan that guides functional and social spaces based on its program.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ desire is for the building to become a strong component of a broader effort, aiming at redefining and reinvigorating traditional crafts and industries across Bahrain.
“Shaded by a light Arish structure, Bahraini weavers use to dig a hole in the ground to fit their legs,” state Leopold Banchini Architects.
“By this simple action, the ground was transformed into an endless table to tense the wires needed for their delicate work,” the architects add.
The team has implemented a tight grid of timber columns and beams on the site that functions both as an organizing principle and reference to the date palm plantations of the north of the island irrigated by a complex network of water channels.
“The resulting building is a low and quiet gridded street elevation stretching the entire boundary of the site,” state the architects.
“Only the palm trees pierce through the horizontal ceiling and become the expression of the building.”
Inside, the structure gains its own configuration derived from the below-grade pits in which the weavers sit whilst operating the timber loom.
To this end, spaces for both the production of tapestries and weavings as well as social exchange are defined through a series of precise excavations below the finished floor level of the building.
The architects place date palms, ponds, and fountains throughout the interior of the project to alleviate the harsh arrangement of the grid structure.
The building is perceived both as a garden and a building, open yet protected.
The team designs specific functions into separate units clad in glass panels that dissolve in the shaded garden.
To construct the building, the developers have used regionally available materials to also celebrate local construction and craft traditions.
The shaded structure, greenery, water network , and seating areas become key design components in design and create a naturally refreshing garden for the inhabitants of the area.
Project: Al Naseej Textile Factory
Architects: Leopold Banchini Architects
Client: Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities
Drawings: Leopold Banchini Architects
Photographers: Dylan Perrenoud
