How can design allow commercial functions to be more sustainable while also ‘negotiating’ the public’s access and usability? Such questions drove the creation of this small-scale building, located on the CPI commercial cluster in Chengdu, China with a limited usage of 10 years. The owner’s brief was for the building to be seamlessly integrated with […]
Read More… from CPI W-18b by YIIIE Architects: Between a commercial and a public space
Liminal spaces often give off a sense of foreboding. Despite the unease they cause, they are still created inevitably in large developments. One reason is the way design and functional planning are parcelled out to different designers. Oftentimes, transitory or service areas are neglected. RELATED: In Praise of Public Spaces Many such leftover spaces are […]
Unlike in urban areas where public spaces are provided as common amenities, they are not expected and are rarely found within industrial areas. However, with Hong Kong transitioning from manufacturing to service, high-tech and creative sectors, many scruffy and utilitarian high-rise factories have been given a makeover through building retrofit, adaptive reuse and even redevelopment. […]
Read More… from 83 KING LAM STREET: Framing the Courtyard with a Borrowed View
One recent example is Spark City’s collaboration with Art in Place (AIP), a community initiative spearheaded by Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Hong Kong chapter. It connects artists and real estate developers to contribute back to their community through creative placemaking. AIP starts by identifying underused but potentially impactful real estate for artistic interventions, such as […]
Read More… from Spark City Mong Kok: Creating Splashes of Vibrancy for the City
The project site is part of Langyuan Station, which features a warehouse with pitched roof and brick walls built in the 1960s. Here, two intersected square frameworks were erected, meticulously rotated at 45 degrees, forming an individual structure that is also connected to the original brick wall—a ‘space within a space’. RELATED: The FuturArc Interview: […]
This bakery within a narrow street seeks to reflect the surrounding ambience and fit into the living environment where time ‘gently’ flows. Situated on the ground floor of a three-storey office building, at the narrowest corner of Lixi Road, the south façade alongside the street has a slightly concave elevation. RELATED: The FuturArc Interview: Liu […]
First of its kind in Southeast Asia, Sentosa Sensoryscape is no ordinary ‘walk in the park’. Covering an area of 30,000 square metres, it is a connector ‘extraordinaire’—a 350-metre walkway linking Resorts World Sentosa in the north and the beaches in the south, punctuated by six distinct sensory gardens, crafted to bring the island’s natural […]
Think about Hong Kong. Chances are you will recall images of tower blocks built close and high, resembling a dense wall of glass and concrete stacked to the sky. Building interiors do not fare better. With one of the densest urban populations in the world coupled with sky-high property prices, most residents contend with compact […]
This project attempts to ‘revive’ the spirit of Epiwalk Mall, located in one of the most expensive mixed-use complexes in Jakarta, by transforming the transitional space between the main building and the site. The concept seeks to complement the existing riverside area—a popular jogging route—by establishing a visual ‘biophilic’ connection via a floating garden built […]
Read More… from Epiwalk Rejuvenation: Refurbishment of Epiwalk Lifestyle Center
“Is there a more interstitial space than an airport? It is the most terminally liminal area: between cities, between flights, between appointments, between everything”1, observed author Roy Christopher regarding the nature of airports. Due to the common perception that airports serve mainly as a transitory space, as a bridge between ‘landside’ and ‘airside’, many of […]
Read More… from Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
This project takes inspiration from numerous neighbouring craft villages to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, which has preserved their culture and craftsmanship throughout generations. Located on the ground floor of a new shopping centre, the architects wish to embody a ‘contrasting’ spirit of contemporary Hanoi with local artisanship by using various craft materials, including […]
Read More… from Assembling craft and ‘waste’ materials: Pizza 4P’s Lotte Mall West Lake
This project establishes a community space within the 10-hectare Swan Lake Park to support residential developments in the Eco Central Park Vinh neighbourhood in Vietnam. Serving as a multi-use activity centre where residents can interact and connect, The Park provides functions such as a multipurpose hall adjoining a service kitchen, a jacuzzi, sauna, gym and […]
Read More… from The Park: A blue-green community ‘magnet’ in Vinh City
