Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Where art meets engineering: Wrapping the Barbican in 2,300 sq. m of fabric.
The 'Purple Hibiscus’ art piece, conceived by artist Ibrahim Mahama, involves an impressive 2,300 sq. m of fabric that has been applied to the Barbican's facade.
The cloth is embroidered with ‘batakaris’, robes worn by Ghanaian kings. The detailing on the fabric was hand-stitched and embroidered by hundreds of craftsmen from the Ghanian region of Tamale.
Buro Happold's engineering services were instrumental in transforming the artist’s vision into reality. The team devised a structural engineering and wind management strategy to secure the fabric on the building through the use of tension lines and a fabric paneling model.
Working with millimetre, the success of this installation underlines the importance of collaboration between different fields of expertise, with Anton Sawicki, Design Project Director, Buro Happold, saying: “We were involved with the artist from the start to realise how we could build and construct his art piece and turn the concept into a reality.
“Collaboration was one of the biggest successes of this installation. It was about like-minded people wanting to deliver this piece and we pushed the boundaries of traditional construction methods in many ways.”
IMAGES: Buro Happold
Where art meets engineering: Wrapping the Barbican in 2,300 sq. m of fabric.
The 'Purple Hibiscus’ art piece, conceived by artist Ibrahim Mahama, involves an impressive 2,300 sq. m of fabric that has been applied to the Barbican's facade.
The cloth is embroidered with ‘batakaris’, robes worn by Ghanaian kings. The detailing on the fabric was hand-stitched and embroidered by hundreds of craftsmen from the Ghanian region of Tamale.
Buro Happold's engineering services were instrumental in transforming the artist’s vision into reality. The team devised a structural engineering and wind management strategy to secure the fabric on the building through the use of tension lines and a fabric paneling model.
Working with millimetre, the success of this installation underlines the importance of collaboration between different fields of expertise, with Anton Sawicki, Design Project Director, Buro Happold, saying: “We were involved with the artist from the start to realise how we could build and construct his art piece and turn the concept into a reality.
“Collaboration was one of the biggest successes of this installation. It was about like-minded people wanting to deliver this piece and we pushed the boundaries of traditional construction methods in many ways.”
IMAGES: Buro Happold
