Pavilion in Bruges

The main cultural city of Europe for the year 2002 became Belgian Bruges. Among others, its council addressed the most inventive Japanese architect of the present day to design a temporary pavilion in the historic square in the city center. It was originally considered that the pavilion would stand in the square from February to November. However, it lasted much longer than that. The new and modern pavilion shaped like a bridge (or tunnel) was intended to symbolically connect today with the ten-century-long tradition of local architectural art. Ito's 22-meter-long bridge arching over a circular water surface is located in the very center where Bruges was founded and where the foundations of the former St. Donatius church are exposed. In his design, Ito constantly kept in mind Mies's Barcelona Pavilion, where the architect also used innovative means for the cultural manifesto of his time. The pavilion itself, standing on the bridge, has a footprint of 15.4 x 6.3 meters. Its walls resemble a bee's honeycomb, reinforced with oval discs. Through the use of innovative technologies and simple architectural lines, Ito created an image of lightness, progress, but also transience. The concept combines simplicity with a careful perception of the place. The pavilion is not only an architectural or cultural statement of the time, but is also a challenge for the know-how of industrial enterprises and brings the possibility of new uses for unconventional materials.