Instructors:
Lukas Imhof
Jonas Klaaßen
Marisol Vidal
Matthias Lang-Raudaschl

Liminal Spaces
Textile Construction and Architecture of Transition

The term “liminal” derives from the Latin word ”limen”, meaning threshold. In anthropology, it denotes the transitional phase in ceremonies or rites of passage: a changing of identities within social structures. In architecture, “liminality” describes the capacity of a space to exist at the margins of binaries — between inside and outside, private and public, temporary and permanent. Situated between established climatic, legal, and cultural boundaries, these spaces often defy clear categorization. They create a discursive field where conventional building logics can be suspended in favor of experimentation and critical reflection.
By employing analog and digital design techniques (maquette and grasshopper), we investigated how textile materials articulate the subtle nuances of spatial limits and question our habits of comfort and exposure. Furthermore, we studied the constructive logics of textiles and membranes, focusing on how they are tensioned and suspended and how such operations can be detailed. This practical inquiry was complemented by a theoretical engagement with positions on limits.
The study took place at “GRNGR”, a former restaurant in Graz, where liminality unfolds as both a spatial and cultural condition. Here, we examined the potential of textile construction to foster cultural and inclusive urban transitions.