Projects: Studio Mumbai

Studio Mumbai
Architecture firm founded in 1995 by Bijoy Jain (* 1965 Mumbai, India). Studio Mumbai consists of eight architects and several local craftsmen.

Bridge by the Canal
Location: Groenerei
20 May - 18 October 2015

The Indian architects firm Studio Mumbai designed a much talked about bridge for Bruges in their studios in Mumbai. However, the bridge is simultaneously much more and much less than a bridge. In purely functional terms it would be able to connect two separated parts of the city centre. But here it lies beside the water, on the quay. Waiting to be installed, or not? Hence it acquires a separate, individual function, as an illusion, as an architectural trompe-l'oell.

This bridge, which does not lead anywhere, is an intermediate space, a halfway house, where you can temporarily stop and stay. Consequently the infrastructure becomes a place for reflection and contemplation, but also a place to sleep, eat and meet. An unsettled and unpredictable classification for a bridge that is not a bridge. And as much a statement about the shortage of housing in our megacities as a reference to famous bridges such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence or the Rialto Bridge in Venice that have served as bridges, markets and places of abode.

And in the Bruges of spectators the bridge is also a place where visitors can shield themselves from the intrusive gaze of onlookers and visitors.

However the bridge is also an example of Studio Mumbai's typical craftsmanship. The studio is a genuine workshop where architects, designers and all kinds of specialists design and develop their projects together. Craftsmanship is at least as important as the digital; the materials and the personal input are equally as vital as the architectural thinking. This means there is always room in their workshop for the unpredictable, which they enjoy incorporating in their work.

(© Text: Walking Guide, Bruges Triennial 2015)