Settle 2026: Movable Furniture Installation in Ireland
Studio TRESTLE presents Settle, a temporary public interior in a Cork City crypt in Ireland, inspired by vernacular furniture and winner of a 2026 arts award.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Settle is a temporary architectural installation created by design studio TRESTLE in Ireland.
- It debuted in the crypt of St Luke’s in Cork City during the summer of 2026.
- The project features movable, functional furniture objects that adapt to various civic settings.
- It received the 2026 Arts Council of Ireland Architecture Project Award.
Design studio TRESTLE has introduced 'Settle', a temporary architectural installation that proposes a public interior for gathering and collective experiences within contemporary urban settings. Drawing inspiration from the functional adaptability of traditional Irish vernacular furniture, the project explores how a carefully curated infrastructure of objects can shape a flexible temporary space.
Photographed by Willem Pab, the installation was initially showcased in the crypt of St Luke’s in Cork City during the summer of 2026. Following its debut, Settle is scheduled to be deployed across a number of different civic and public spaces over the forthcoming months, allowing communities to interact directly with the modular setup.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The concept behind the project references Hannah Arendt's writings regarding the importance of a shared 'common world of things.' Studio TRESTLE positions public interiors as an essential part of this shared environment, responding directly to modern social structures that increasingly favor individualism and digital interaction by highlighting the value of tangible, physical rooms designed for public engagement.
Utilizing movable interiors and adaptive architecture highlights a growing urban design trend where existing heritage or underutilized spaces are temporarily reactivated. This approach provides sustainable, low-impact solutions for modern cities requiring flexible venues for community gatherings without permanent construction.
Furthermore, the project addresses the climate emergency by demonstrating how existing buildings can accommodate new forms of civic life through reusable, modular components rather than resource-heavy new builds.
Settle investigates a prototypical public interior through spatial organization, thresholds, material identities, repetition, and variation. Rather than relying on a fixed interior layout, these qualities are achieved through movable arrangements of architectural gestures and functional objects. Key features of the installation include:
- A collection of adaptable objects that can be rearranged for diverse events and gatherings.
- The establishment of physical gathering spaces beyond the digital realm.
- The reuse of existing architectural spaces like historic crypts for modern civic life.
Source: designboom
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