The alchemist ‘airport of the city’ becomes ‘airport = the city’.The concept extracts the idea of collision among a large variety of different cultures in the subject, airport infrastructures, and revitalize it through flexible devices in a heterotopia environment to house different cultures and different people.
based in Macau, since 2012
“Overlooking Mount Olympus” is a transformative installation that depicts a scene where Aeolus spent his afternoon observing the dynamics on Mount Olympus from Aeolia, it marries the ethereal matte translucence of acrylic with the enduring luster of silver. This is a theater of alchemy, where materials converse and tales of gods and mortals are retold.
The three modules are odes to the flexibility of the modern, the variability of mythos, allows the space between to be filled with the play of imagination.
“Overlooking Mount Olympus” is a journey through the mutable and the immutable. The Lego-like modules offer endless configurations, each a new myth to be told, each rearrangement, a different perspective on the pantheon of tales.
photo credit: aeolus_studio
〈グロット・リトリート・西窯頭〉
農村らしさを継承するやわらかな形のレンガ建築
A( )VOIDが中国の農村活性化プロジェクトの一環として設計した〈グロット・リトリート・西窯頭〉
〈グロット・リトリート・西窯頭(Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou)〉は、中国の過疎化した農村を共同農園とする、活性化プロジェクトの一環として建てられたリトリート施設です。
現地のプリミティブな住まいから着想を得た「グロット」という双曲面のボリュームと木の橋で構成され、公私が共存するコミュニティとなるよう計画されています。
中国の設計事務所A( )VOIDが設計しました。
(以下、A( )VOIDから提供されたプレスキットのテキストの抄訳)
取り残された村の活性化
「空洞村」は中国の農村によく見られる現象である。村の先住民のほとんどが新たな農村の住宅地に移り住み、荒廃した家屋が残されている。
農村活性化プロジェクトを進めるFAホームステイ(Fortune Art Homestay)は、過疎化が進む中国・蔚県(Yu County)の100の村から、切り絵や木工芸といった文化遺産を考慮し西窯頭村(Xiyaotou Village)がプロジェクトの第1弾として選出された。
村は共同農園に生まれ変わり、宿泊施設や地元食材を使ったサービス、活動を通じて村人に収入を提供している。
西窯頭村の農村活性化プロジェクトは、2018年のFA Emerging Architect Awardをきっかけにスタートしたものであり、〈グロット・リトリート・西窯頭〉は12の受賞デザインのうちの1つである。
農村と都市を掛け合わせたコミュニティ
デザインコンセプトは、農村における「知人社会」と都市における「他人社会」という、ヒューマンネットワークの本質的な違いから出発している。
先住民の住んでいた洞窟住居から着想を得たプライベート空間「グロット(窯、小さなほら穴)」と、そのグロットを木の橋というパブリック空間がつないでいる。
洞窟住居というプリミティブな形態を現代的な生活様式の中に位置付けることで、公私が共存するコミュニティとなるよう計画した。
木の橋は、洞窟住居の縦横比に基づいた4×6mのグリッドで構成されている。このグリッドは通路レイアウトの基調となり、新しい建築群を精神的な意味でも支えている。
〈グロット・リトリート・西窯頭〉は、周囲の風景を眺めることができる木の橋、双曲面のファサード、松材の柱、コールテン鋼で縁取られた建具という複合的な構成となっている。
「グロット」ユニットは敷地の他の作品と調和するよう、散在するボリュームと双曲面の形状、さまざまなスケールの開口部、地域の材料と工法を用いた計画とした。
高さ7mの天井高さを持つ「グロット」の天窓は、西暦200年代の詩人である劉玲の詩「天と地を家とし、家を衣とする」になぞらえ、居住者に空間の垂直性に集中するよう促すものである。
また天窓は、陽の傾きを敏感に感じ取り、「夜明けから夕暮れまで働く」という農村のリズムに合わせるための設計でもある。冬は天窓から入ってきた熱を二重のレンガの壁で蓄熱し、夏はユニットの形状と開口部により生じた煙突効果で熱を排出することができる。
ファサードから突き出ているレンガは、職人がレンガ壁を作成する際に竹の足場の仮支持として使用されたものである。
双曲面に投影される突起や木橋の影は、陽の傾きによって変化し、刹那的な時間を生み出している。
Japanese writing translated by tecture株式会社
based in London, UK
In the realm of ancient Greek mythology, Aeolus, the deity of the wind, doth chance upon the valiant protagonist Odysseus and in his boundless generosity bestoweth upon him a bag replete with all the winds, thereby aiding him upon his momentous odyssey. This myth doth serve as a poignant reminder that life's tapestry is often woven with unforeseen and profound encounters. As our paths do intertwine, we doth aspire for our own emblematic "bag of wind," akin to the transformative essence of the dragonfly, to act as a catalyst, bringing forth mirth and triumph upon our unique voyage through life's capricious winding paths and daunting trials. Inspired by the ethereal zephyrs and the dragonfly's symbolism of adaptability and fortitude, we doth craft exquisite adornments that embody the notion of "walking with the wind," thus signifying a palpable sense of emancipation and serenity, even as the wind and dragonfly doth glide with unparalleled grace and ease.
-Julio, founder of Aeolus
Macau SAR, China
1400 sqft
2022-2024
In the heart of a metropolis where the echoes of Hollywood's Golden Era still resonate, "Red Carpet" materializes as an urbane Hermès resale emporium, a sanctuary where the nostalgia of 1930s to 1950s cinema coalesces with the timeless opulence of Parisian luxury. This salon is an architectural homage to the Art Deco movement, its facade a prelude to the sumptuous narrative within. A red carpet unfurls, guiding patrons through a threshold framed by the artifacts, into a realm where vintage settees nestle beneath the soft glow of period-appropriate film pendant. Here, Hermès artifacts reside in brass-trimmed vitrines, each piece an actor on this grand stage. The transactional denouement unfolds at a checkout counter mirroring a starlet's vanity—a final nod to the bygone glamour that permeates the meticulously orchestrated interior tableau. In this confluence of classic cinematography, "red Carpet" stands as a testament to the enduring allure of quality and the evocative power of design.
Situated at the Jinshan District in Shanghai, a garden with the programmes of hostels, open spaces of different sizes, gallery and bistros have visitors lingering around. The complex attempts to nurture tourists via the journey across it, through constant interchange between the duality of the opposite, real and imaginary, nature and manmade, interior and exterior, light and dark…
Learning from the delightful garden of eastern China, various sizes of frames capture times-spaces with diverse apertures, the spaces with respective vanishing points blur the sense of scales and distance within a viewport. The aforementioned tectonics mirages aperspectival sight, expressed through the playful while articulate fenestration of the separating/connecting walls.
Infusing the toilet and pantry space with a profound sense of expressiveness, sensuality, and spatial poetry. By sculpting the journey, embracing tactile materials, harnessing transformative lighting, ensuring immaculate cleanliness, we aspire to create an extraordinary environment that transcends the ordinary and invites users on a transformative sensorial experience.
In Collaboration with local architects,he multifunctional office space (3J) aimed at creating a dynamic and versatile environment that can adapt to the changing needs of modern businesses. The design concept encompasses an approach that prioritizes functionality and flexibility, while also utilizing cutting-edge architectural techniques to create a space that is both visually striking and highly efficient.
Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China
820 sqm
2019 - 2021
"Hollow villages" are a common phenomenon in China rural areas. Most of the aboriginal households of the village have moved to the new rural residential areas, leaving their dilapidated homesteads. Considering the cultural heritage in Yu County such as paper-cutting, wood crafting and ‘Fiery Trees and Silver Flowers’, the Fortune Art (FA) Homestay selected Xiyaotou Village, out of 100 villages in Yu County, as the beginning of village poverty alleviation. The village have been transformed into communal farms to provide local villagers with income via offering accommodation, local food services and activities. The rural revitalization project of Xiyaotou Village started with the 2018 FA Emerging Architect Award. "Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou" is one of the 12 winning designs.
The design concept starts with the radical difference between the rural and urban interpersonal networks, the native cave dwellings of the site are re-interpreted as vertical "grottos”. By flowing the bridge of connectivity in between the private “grottos”, the design attempts to realize a community in which public and private coexist. The bridge is supported by a hidden four-by-six-meter grid, which is derived from the length-to-width ratio of the original cave dwellings on the site. It serves as the keynote for the layout of the corridor structure and supports the new building complex in a spiritual sense. Wandering under and above the wooden bridge, one could oversee surrounding landscape and aboriginal architecture of Yu County, which are framed by the hyperbolic facade, pine wood columns and corten-steel fenestration of the complex. For the treatment of the vertical "grottos” unit, with the implementation of scattered volumes, hyperbolic shapes, various fenestration dimensions, local materials and construction methods, the building complex attempts to be compatible with the site and amongst other works.
With assistance of the seven-meter-high ceiling, the sun roof of the vertical "grottos” encourages residents to focus on the verticality of the space, "housed by the sky and the earth, and clothed by the house" (Liu Ling). The introduction of generous skylights contextualises residents to rurality’s rhythm of "working from dawn to dusk" and further expose their sensitivity to the sun's trajectory. Climatically, in order to warm the three quarters of Zhangjiakou averaging 10 Degree Celsius, sun rays enter through skylights and are preserved by double-layered brick walls; during summer, heat can be discharged via chimney effect given rise by the collaboration of the unit’s geometry and fenestration.
The protruding bricks on the elevation, as the vehicle of a part of the construction process, were the position where the scaffolding found its temporary support for bricklayers to complete the double-layered brick wall with an average height of 7 meters. Their visibility on the facade depends on the intensity of the sun and cloud density. The shadow of the protrusions and wood bridge cast on the hyperboloid morphs with the sun’s trajectory, emerging ephemeral time-spaces.
Macau SAR, China
800 sqft
2022
photographer: Fernando Nascimento
SHIZUKU is a sake bar and retail project with approximately 800 sqft, inserted on the ground floor of a 6-storey residential building, which was built in 1972. It is located in the Rua Central, facing the cultural heritage of the Tribunal Velho (Old Court House), in Macau SAR.
Shizukuzake (雫酒), meaning "drip sake", is a method of separating sake from the lees without external pressure by hanging the mash in bags and allowing the liquid to drip out under its own weight by gravity. The Chinese word ‘雫’ can also be read as ‘雨下’, meaning ‘the dripping rain’. Therefore, the design conceptualised around the elements of rain. Everyone shares a shelter under the rain, overseeing the moon on the other side. The seemingly omni-morphing ceiling, which is inherited from one of the most historical Taishō Era (大正) pattern (石畳紋) of Japan, which was also embedded into the 2021 Tokyo Olympics logo. The fixture houses lighting fixtures, display shelves, smoke/heat detectors and access panels. Moreover, there is a hidden hanging system, behind the offsetted panels, which will be used for hosting weeks/months-long collaborations with parties including local animation, dancing, photography studios, jazz bands, etc. This will be one of the venues to host a ‘City as museum’ series, launching exhibitions and events at places of different categories over the same period of time.
The pixelated arch frames the classified 20th century architecture and the vivid daily life of the pedestrians, tourists and neighbours, visualising a Japanese version of the metropolitan nature of the post-colonial city, on the other hand, respecting the memory and time of the historical building in the old neighbourhood.
Various types of seating are implemented into the sake bar in order to offer ergonomical freedom for individual sentiments. Tall bar stool when one feels more shining; regular dining height for a more cozy encounter; the lowest 700mm tea table to allow an even more relaxed experience. The angled approach of the bar counter minimises the difficulty of communications among drinkers and servers, and the turning point momentarily becomes the pivot of the venue.
Anji, Zhejiang, China
30°37′48″N 119°40′17″E
450 sqm
2022 - present
Boohaven Bookhouse explores a spatial language, aiming to explore how the interior space closely integrated with the ecology of the site, which is constantly evolving with the alternation of seasons and the flow of time, like a nature-themed drama. Studying the interactions among the boundaries of space, physical activity, changes in light atmosphere, air circulation and natural scenery. Different openings, on the building skin, frame different landscapes. The alternation of indoor and outdoor allows visitors a different encounter with nature. The construction uses local building materials and crafts as much as possible to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.
Macau SAR, China
500 sqft
2022
photographer: Fernando Nascimento
graffiti artist: MCZ
EV by Explorvine is a winery and retail project with approximately 500 sqft, inserted on the ground floor of a residential complex, located in the Rua da Doca dos Holandeses, in Macau SAR.
Explorvine is the combination of Explore + Wine, which are represented as yacht and wine glass, respectively, in the original logo. Therefore, the concept spirals around the experience inside a yacht.
The design features an array of modular wine cubes, which are used for logistics, that serves as the bar counter, storage and seating area. The aforementioned modules and functions are connected into one piece of installation with cubical undulation, running from the interior to the exterior. The ceiling of the bar counter area is lowered with the material and feature of ship decking, in order to create coziness via an adjustment of human scale.
In ancient times, as the Chinese folktale “Kua Fu Chasing the Sun” goes, there lived a group of mighty giants deep in the forests in the north and Kua Fu was their leader. At that time, the world was desolate, infested with vipers and beasts. In a year when the weather was extraordinarily hot, the plants were scorched, the rivers were dried and people were suffering from the intense heat of the sun. Kua Fu swore to catch the sun and tame it to serve for all. The sun moved fleetingly in the sky, while Kua Fu chased it like wind on the ground with his bare foot.
Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China
40.7675° N, 114.8863° E
820 sqm
2019 - present
“Hollow Village ”
is a common phenomenon in rural areas of China. The indigenous people of the entire village have moved to the new rural residential areas. Their homesteads are still there, the old houses are ruined, and noone is truly revitalising the countryside.
In addition to paper-cutting, flower blossoming firework and other intangible cultural heritage, Zhangjiakou Yuxian has more than 100 hollow villages. The FA Designers’ Community selected Xi Yaotou Village as the first shot for the renovation of the hollow villages, which includes 16 homesteads .
Following the renovation, it will become a communal farm with more than 40 rooms, providing farmers with the benefits of the homesteads. The employment of some poverty-stricken households will hopefully revitalise the intangible cultural heritaga of Yu County.
While aiming to realise a public yet private community through juxtaposing the ancient fashion of living with the modern idea of connectivity, alongside the agrestal locality of Yu County.
Via exploring the organic way of living, we are aiming to establish the potential cohesive bondage between that and the modern ways of living.
He, who punctuates the constructural erections, populates and sets the tones and restraints for the imminent idyll. The derivation of him, the plot (4x6m), is coming from the formerly-peopled dwellings and will be cradling the freshly grown rurality.
With the re-interpreted dwellings paving the blanket , chants come into play. Grotto-shaped overpass along with the velvety ripples, swimming through the inherited landscape. They have been choreographing the nature and the man-made, while all of this is seeking to mirage an aperspectival mural.
The formalistic outcome of the dwellings being a rationalised cavern with scents of collective randomness. Slanting towards one side, minimally scupted 10° cut along with the fenestration which varies in both sizes and pivotal directions. Utilising the advantage from our perspectival vision and the angular placement of the units, they feel as kinfolk as they are cloned.
Shizukuzake (雫酒), meaning "drip sake", is a method of separating sake from the lees without external pressure by hanging the mash in bags and allowing the liquid to drip out under its own weight by gravity. The Chinese word ‘雫’ can also be read as ‘雨下’, meaning ‘the dripping rain’. Therefore, the design conceptualised around the elements of rain.
Shanghai, China
580 sqfm
2021 - present
Macau SAR, China
1700 sqft
2023
In Collaboration with local architects,he multifunctional office space (3J) aimed at creating a dynamic and versatile environment that can adapt to the changing needs of modern businesses. The design concept encompasses an approach that prioritizes functionality and flexibility, while also utilizing cutting-edge architectural techniques to create a space that is both visually striking and highly efficient.
The space will be designed to accommodate a variety of different functions, including open work areas, private offices, meeting rooms, and collaborative spaces. The design will incorporate elements such as movable walls, flexible furniture, and advanced lighting and sound systems to create a space that can be easily reconfigured to meet the needs of different teams and projects.
The design approach aims to ensure a smooth transition between the old dwellings and the new complex. More importantly, it is to conserve the organically-formed ruralism and develop based on the existing dynamism. The 3 x 3.5m plywood column-beam grids, being the empirical unit of the old dwellings, are plugged into the existing structures, new components(roofs and partitions) are being installed nearby the old dwellings after the construction of structural grid. Later on the old structures will be demolished and removed from site. Last but not least, other modules such as the louvers, fences or other local components can be added to desirable locations.
By means of light intensity/geometry/level of enclosure, in-between spaces have been created in between living room, bedrooms, kitchens, ranch and other areas. Residents can take or attracted to numerous paths to travel around the complex, passively or spontaneously. Fences of different geometries, height and perforation enrich the diversity of path taken by according individuals. Modular louvers enhance the lighting vibrancy within the 3 x 3.5m column-beam grid.
Certain modular approach of the design allow residents to adjust, extend, subtract the complex according to their needs and demands. The controlled mayhem offered by the system ensures the design to evolve with time. Such ideology can be applied to different parts of Africa, which is cost efficiently and offers smooth transition between old and the new.
Macau SAR, China
800 sqft
2022
photographer: Fernando Nascimento
SHIZUKU is a sake bar and retail project with approximately 800 sqft, inserted on the ground floor of a 6-storey residential building, which was built in 1972. It is located in the Rua Central, facing the cultural heritage of the Tribunal Velho (Old Court House), in Macau SAR.
Shizukuzake (雫酒), meaning "drip sake", is a method of separating sake from the lees without external pressure by hanging the mash in bags and allowing the liquid to drip out under its own weight by gravity. The Chinese word ‘雫’ can also be read as ‘雨下’, meaning ‘the dripping rain’. Therefore, the design conceptualised around the elements of rain. Everyone shares a shelter under the rain, overseeing the moon on the other side. The seemingly omni-morphing ceiling, which is inherited from one of the most historical Taishō Era (大正) pattern (石畳紋) of Japan, which was also embedded into the 2021 Tokyo Olympics logo. The fixture houses lighting fixtures, display shelves, smoke/heat detectors and access panels. Moreover, there is a hidden hanging system, behind the offsetted panels, which will be used for hosting weeks/months-long collaborations with parties including local animation, dancing, photography studios, jazz bands, etc. This will be one of the venues to host a ‘City as museum’ series, launching exhibitions and events at places of different categories over the same period of time.
The pixelated arch frames the classified 20th century architecture and the vivid daily life of the pedestrians, tourists and neighbours, visualising a Japanese version of the metropolitan nature of the post-colonial city, on the other hand, respecting the memory and time of the historical building in the old neighbourhood.
Various types of seating are implemented into the sake bar in order to offer ergonomical freedom for individual sentiments. Tall bar stool when one feels more shining; regular dining height for a more cozy encounter; the lowest 700mm tea table to allow an even more relaxed experience. The angled approach of the bar counter minimises the difficulty of communications among drinkers and servers, and the turning point momentarily becomes the pivot of the venue.
This design proposal is conceived as a picture of the landscape of thousand hills that represents the city of kigali, rwanda.
The dental centre as the starting point, to help, to train and to educate the people, as the ultimate goal of this project by his hands on africa (hhoa).
By giving the meaning to maximize the views of the greenery into the design, a series of simple rectangular form of the buildings enters into a relationship with the city fabric by shifting themselves depending on the contour of the kigali site and perceived differently on the observer’s vantage point by maximize the view of landscape.
The result of this structural ingenuity, then, is not only an iconic roofline that provides natural light, but a highly flexible interior space that accommodates offices, warehouse, and gallery space under a single envelope. The roof is detached from the slabs and walls, giving rise to a numbers of small hills.
The heart of the building 1 creates distintive open courtyard, a large central communal space (approx. 320m2), that it’s experienced not only as a courtyard, but also as a meditation, a natural gathering point across by connecting different functions. The fences is linked up to connect the three buildings with openings allowing a look through the wall to the outside and the courtyard formed gives people the feeling of being sheltered in a cozy village.
The stacked local bricks cover the facade on all sides, highlighting the modules and to accentuate the traditional artisanal pattern of imigongo as the art of rwanda.
The 5m grid modular system is applied on the short side of the site that aim to attests to the same concrete structure designed to meet the mixed programmatic needs and budgeted construction that gives a more efficient works and shorten the project schedule.
Macau SAR, China
300 sqft
2020
The design statement introduces a local vegetarian restaurant and café located in the dynamic city of Macau, deftly intertwining a robust Japanese influence with an inviting café ambiance. By amalgamating the tenets of Japanese design with the intimate and comforting atmosphere of a café, our concept endeavors to forge a space that harmoniously accommodates guests seeking to relish vegetarian fare while indulging in the pleasures of a delectable cup of coffee.
Joint Master Trader is a Macau building material supplier specializing in building system solutions and a wide array of finishing materials.
Explorvine combines exploration and wine, represented by a yacht and wine glass in the logo. The yacht symbolizes adventure and discovery, offering a unique journey and the thrill of exploration. The wine glass represents indulgence and elegance, signifying the pleasure of fine wine and a luxurious experience. The logo represents the concept of enjoying exquisite wines while immersed in the beauty of the open seas or coastal landscapes. Explorvine aims to provide a seamless blend of exploration and wine, inviting individuals to embark on a memorable yacht experience that combines adventure, luxury, and the pleasures of fine wine.
Macau SAR, China
1080 sqft
2022
photographer: iskm
A multifunctional space combines the programmes of living room, showroom, workshop, tea house and pre-function within an area of 100 sqm. Line and grid linguistics set the tone of the design, offering a hide-and-seek element at a small scale. A play of closure and openness creates a dynamic relationship with artificial light and shadow.
Tea house is situated at the very end of the longitudinal space, being lifted up 400mm above the finish level, inducing a more intimate association with, the surrounding stone wall and greeneries, nature.
Danilo’s Italian texture paint are used in all the wall and ceiling finishes to enhance the sense of touch and mimicking of nature.
Wuhu, China
400 sqft
2022
The “(UN)SCHOOL COPENHAGEN is a place designed for individuals to intuitively exercise their self-determinedness through constantly facing choices and attractions in terms of permeability, illumination, ventilation, materiality, etc. rather than simply feeding knowledge to students from a book without arousing their autonomy.
With aforementioned intention in mind, our project formalistically inherited the diversified spatiality of the chronicled Viking hubs, such qualities and ideas have been embodied chiefly via the distinctive ‘A’ frames with interlocking gestures, and enriched by carved-out voids (internal courtyards). Visual connections with the idyllic site of Hekla Park are optimised with linkage (bridges and platform) between volumes.
Individual’s daily path may vary greatly by virtue of the exposure to multiple dualist pairs of light and shadow, nature and artificial, interior and exterior, etc. Throughout their daily activities, the dynamic surroundings drive them into different events and help develop their subconscious conceptualisations of ideas. In addition, ‘streets’ are introduced in between masses for potential temporary creation (knowledge reinterpretation) by students, inspired by the ‘Adventure Playground’ proposed by Carl Theodor Sørensen, a Danish landscape architect.
Modular construction approach encourages users to shape and adjust the span and fenestration of the building suchlike the way they shape their educational policy with time. Expansion, contraction or fragmentation are achievable with designed modularity and we aspire to offer resilience for hopefully long-lived (UN)SCHOOL COPENHAGEN.
The design anticipated a time when architecture would have to respond to the mobility, fast-pace, and transformability of Ginza, a globalized location resulted from social currencies and social medias – the sharing of one’s information, experiences, opinions, and emotions.
The word “encyclopedia” comes from enkukliospaideia, Latin for “all-round education”. With the duality of dynamic architectural space as the primary framework, the design flips the concept and timeline of encyclopedia. It references the mechanism of a tree, where architecturally, all education started from in ancient times, and adopts a technology that would “breathe in” and detect human emotions generated from public shared social data, and give off by passively analyzing and transforming into varied architectural spaces, public or private, big or small, that would be in need for the people at that certain moment across different locations, religion and cultures, and fit into the dynamic population of emotions and context of Ginza.
Anji, Zhejiang, China
30°37′48″N 119°40′17″E
380 sqm
2022 - present
The design concept stems from the inclusivity for diversity of the Chinese garden, which includes the functions of the tourist service center, public toilets, two tea rooms and four groups of small landscapes. The openness and privacy of each function are different. In terms of fenestration, each space allows designed entry of natural light and change of light and shadow, considerations of landscape and human scale smoothens the transitions between spaces. The service center uses wood as main structure, and local bamboo tiles and wood tiles as the cladding. We attempt to achieve a creative architectural design which fits in the rural context through local materials
HOME for community | BASE for movement quality
———————————————————————————
OPENING HOURS :
🕚MON-FRI 18:00-22:30 🕚SAT-SUN 13:00-22:30
In traditional Suzhou garden design, windows and doors are the mediums connecting the two spaces. The elements of traditional windows have been arrayed onto the initials of Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale(SJLB) to foreshadow the connection between the exhibition and the world.
Macau SAR, China
560 sqft
2019
the conceptual framework for the 50sqm condo that embraces the quintessence of wabi-sabi philosophy, while seamlessly integrating functional and aesthetically pleasing wall cabinets throughout the space. The primary objective is to fashion a harmonious living environment that exalts imperfections, simplicity. The aim is to engender a serene and tranquil living space that fosters a profound sense of serenity, mindfulness, and communion with the nature
The design anticipated a time when architecture would have to respond to the mobility, fast-pace, and transformability of a globalized world resulted from social issues related to recycling, migration, affordable housing, post-disaster shelters and the optimal use of space in overcrowded cities.
With the duality of dynamic and static architectural space as the primary framework, it adopts the coming age of AI based on these subjects through lightweight sensors that measures human needs, and changes accordingly to their emotions and demands that aims to architecturally solve matters through the dynamics of the concept of a ‘home’. It incorporates mechanisms to use wind as the instrument to alter variable spaces through turbines attached to architectural elements, and naturally transforms overtime varying in openness, light level, ventilation and volume based on the movements of nature’s wind forces. The word “nature” comes from natura, Latin for birth – from which the words nation, native and innate are also derived – the elementary concept of ‘home’.
Through creating dynamics via nature and AI, it reveals the potential of a precisely measured ‘home’ to achieve a balanced harmony of human, nature, technology and architecture when juxtaposed together, and the birth of a new reactive typology of ‘home
Macau SAR, China
1800 sqft
2022
Situated in the Roosevelt Macau ground floor, SOUL spa has been meticulously crafted to offer a transformative experience, fusing the tranquility of nature with the energetic pulse of the surrounding cityscape. Drawing inspiration from Koolhaas' avant-garde architectural style, the spa's design aims to provoke a dialogue between the built environment and the natural world.
Upon entering SOUL, guests are enveloped in a carefully curated atmosphere that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Koolhaas' signature design elements, characterized by bold geometries and unexpected juxtapositions, create a dynamic spatial experience. The interior spaces feature a harmonious blend of organic materials, evoking a sense of calm and grounding amidst the urban chaos.
The spa's layout has been meticulously orchestrated to encourage exploration and discovery. Guests are invited to follow a series of meandering pathways, reminiscent of forest trails, leading them to various treatment rooms and relaxation areas. These pathways may incorporate elements of surprise, such as sudden openings to reveal lush greenery or unexpected vistas, stimulating a sense of wonder and anticipation.