Renesa's brick-like rug collection explores architecture beyond buildings
Architecture studio Renesa has collaborated with Indian rug brand House of Knots to create a series of hand-tufted collectible rugs designed as geometric abstractions of the humble brick.
The collection, named Brick by Brick, takes its cue from the modular building material as the "first act of architecture" according to Sanchit Arora, principal architect at Renesa.
"In India especially, brick has been a silent constant across vernacular and modern practices," he told Dezeen. "The idea was to strip architecture down to its most fundamental unit and then rebuild it conceptually."
The design was conceived by Renesa's Janvi Bhatia and as a kind of collapsed architectural drawing, whereby plan, section and elevation are merged into a single textural plane.
The resulting rugs "sit somewhere between an architectural diagram and an imagined memory of space", Arora explained.
Courtyards, stepwells, masonry patterns and sectional drawings were key references, emblematic of Indian architecture and its use of the brick.
For Arora, the rug collection ultimately aims to provoke thinking about architecture beyond buildings.
"Architecture is fundamentally a way of thinking, not just building," said the architect. "It can exist in objects, textiles, even narratives. This collection explores that independence."
"Brick by Brick positions the rug not as a passive surface, but as an architectural artefact, where each knot becomes a unit of construction."
The designs are translated into weaving maps, used by master artisans to guide their tufting. Each rug takes between 50 and 60 days to create using a mixture of wool and silk blends.
"Even in a textile format, the work remains rooted in architectural discipline and proportion," he said.
"The entire composition grows from aggregation and repetition. There's a system of alignment, offsetting and layering – very similar to how buildings are constructed."
To achieve a sense of depth and structure, varying pile heights were combined with custom dyeing using tones to evoke India's earthen landscapes, clay and kiln-fired terracotta.
The biggest production challenge was maintaining precision and structure without losing textural warmth, essential to the rugs.
"Architecture is rigid, but textile is inherently soft," said Arora. "Balancing those two was critical."
The artisans navigated this using their understanding of material behaviour rooted in generational tradition, which ultimately informed the final outcome.
"Many refinements, especially in gradients and edges, came through on-ground experimentation," said Shivam Agarwal, CEO of House of Knots.
"The design is one aspect, but it is the artisans that truly bring it to life with the craft and experience," she continued.
Brick by Brick made its debut last month during Milan design week at design platform Alcova.
Also exhibited at Milan design week was Japanese architect Kengo Kuma's collaboration with Indian brand Jaipur Rugs. Named Faces, the collection of wool rugs was modelled on his buildings, including the Albert Kahn Museum in France.
Other projects by Renesa include a low-slung home featuring sweeping concrete and brick walls located in Punjab, India.
The photography is by Gianluca.
The post Renesa's brick-like rug collection explores architecture beyond buildings appeared first on Dezeen.
