Following our recent award win in Hong Kong for the 2009 Hong Kong Designer’s Association Asia Design Award (see our previous post here), the Hong Kong Economic Times (05/12/2009) ran a full page article on our winning project in the Proprerty Times section. We are extremely honored and would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms C, our HK correspondent and members of the HKDA for this.
This is our new live/work home/studio. Its been completed a few weeks now, but we just could not have the time to settle in properly in between our work schedules and other commitments. Now we are just starting to ‘live’ in it, understanding and finetuning our needs and furnishing the raw spaces as we go along. We had deliberated much on how to approach this, both as an output of our work and as the inputs of a new home. The core issues surrounding our needs, critically as a workspace and a home for our young family, informed the design strategies that were deployed which also manifests itself through the possibilities of such a typology - the ubiquitous yet fast disappearing post-war shophouse. Work primarily involved remodelling the internal of the shell space, altering the existing plan configuration. Issues of segregation between the workspace and the living spaces, and circulation - the workspace can be accessed direct from the main stairs from street level, are addressed through an ‘extended’ entrance foyer or threshold. This works as an intermediate space defined by operable walls/doors which when open or closed, allows either the separation or connection between these two programmatic entities. Full description and more pictures to come.
[Image : Flickr user neilalderney123]
What used to be a horse racing grounds (the former Singapore Turf Club) has for years now, been converted into a hybrid retail, recreational and leisure complex. The 56-ha site, dominated by the colossal grandstand building and wild greenery, constitutes 6 sectors; retail mall, automobile mart, food & beverages, seafood market, furniture mall and sports complex. With more than 2,000 carpark lots it can easily handle the typical weekend influx of families as well as crowds visiting one-off large scale events eg. car shows, fairs , sporting events etc.
[Image : www.turfcity.com.sg]
But what’s more interesting than how this mammoth of a retail operator manages its leasings, targets its businesses or sustains its events planning, is the fact that a composite of programs (no doubt being generally retail-based), of different user groups and space requirements, is able to operate in a way that is almost completely detatched from the fact that it used to be a former horse racing grounds, with its racing tracks, grandstands, clubhouse building, stables and associated auxillary buildings, etc. In terms of building typology, it is obviously a completely different type, organised as a complex spread across campus-like open spaces and greenery as opposed to an enclosed air-conditioned ‘mall’. These programs fit and adapt into that existing architectural framework with relative ease as it looks like very minimal spatial manoeuvres have been deployed. So minimal that a large chunk of the complex still remains undeveloped, especially the upper grandstand areas. It was as if the shops just came and set up overnight, securing the best spots and leaving out the others.
Inside, the shopping experience is dominated by the presence of huge spectator stand pylons that angle down from the grandstands above. Planning wise, the lower grandstand floor (concourse) plan is a characterised by a central circulation spine defining the retail mall. Shops line both sides of the oppressive single storey space, and the spill-0ut effect results in hardly any corridor space left. A half flight of stairs separate the seafood market and restaurants, ingeniously housed within the spectator stands (which have also been enclosed with air-conditioning and takes advantage of the racetrack view). Outside, the automobile mart occupies the entire covered carpark. Although there is a lack of visual connectivity and frontages, in its own way, somehow this place works as a retail destination. Even though the mall may seem severely undersized, the compact and tight common spaces does portray a bazaar like atmosphere. The level changes, perhaps remnants of a time when split-level changes were de rigueur, leaves more to be desired. Elsewhere however, traces of abandoned spaces, long empty corridors and awkward, incoherent elements characterise what’s left of the vast infrastructure.
[Image : www.ply-studio.com]
[Image : www.teddy-o-ted.com]
[Image : http://youhavebrokentheinternet.blogspot.com]
I stumbled upon this recently, it is a tongue in cheek guide on how to open a clothing boutique. Simply put, the post seem to suggest that it is a lot about ’styling’ an interior space, on creating the right environment, ambience, feel and vibe, with the right artefacts complimenting the merchandising. Lately, so much of such is seen proliferating the internet and getting built at the same time. But on a more serious note, apart for Step 5, each one of the mentioned items does categorically apply to our work now, which I can interpret as such (in italics) :
Step 1 : Find old building, preferably with some exposed industrial elements/materials and hardwood floors… (site procurement)
Step 2 : Clean, paint, stain, etc… (materials palette and treatment)
Step 3 : Build out some sort of ironical fixtures, racks, boxes, crates, to hang and display garments/footwear on. (display concept)
Step 4 : Find vintage trunks and display everywhere… (visual merchandising and communication)
Step 5 : Not applicable.
Step 6 : Name store something old, simple, one or two words, and open the doors… (branding and identity)
We would like to think that the way we approach design vastly differs from this, but are we just missing the point? Or should we at some point rethink and leave our architectural sensibilities behind? I have walked into and seen many a shop which have embraced the qualities as described above. But I always also feel that either they looked like they were washed ashore by some torrent wave by the beach with their distressed driftwood looking timber clad walls or, in some cases, merchandise were just brought into some kind of disused boiler room that has been immaculately cleaned out, devoid of filth and grease. Besides fulfilling all the demands of a retail space in terms of its functional and spatial requirements, we all know retail design is also about the ability of a store’s perceived environment to promote consumer spending by leveraging on the buying impulse of the shopper. Conventional wall and surfacing materials like timber veneers, plasterwork and paints undergone some form of distressing to create a worn, lived-in look alongside artefacts like suitcases, traditional gymnasium equipment, vintage clothes racks, operating theatre curtain rails and lights etc are used heavily as visual merchandising and part interior store fixtures. The result is a space that makes you nice, comfortable and most importantly, like spending. I am not sure whether its the store interiors or the products itself, but the fact is that they also happen to be some of my favorite stores.
I am not sure of how this approach to retail design works across the board, but with a few of our own upcoming retail projects in hand, it should be interesting to see how they develop. I will leave you with some of the ‘better’ examples that I have seen, and that is just coming from the point of me being a consumer, and not a designer.
[Image : Folk Store via Selectism]
[Image : Hollander and Lexer via Refinery29]
[Image : Trueffelschwein, Berlin]
[Image : Rag and Bone via Acontinuouslean]
While we are on the subject. Our past project J-Loft is probably a variation of the bookshelf plan. It features a series of 2m x 0.6m timber boxes arranged in a linear manner along the entire length of the 20m deep apartment space. It is planned as one open space but with the timber boxes and their suggested functions defining the smaller zones and activities within the main living zones. The timber boxes are used as ‘walls’ that incorporate functions such as seating, countertop, worksurfaces, storage and display. That accounts for it’s thickness, and space is inserted within and inbetween that thickness.
Meanwhile for a recent project we’d continued this typoogical study in defining the interior space of a similar sized and type of apartment. A series of bookshelves form a threshold separating and/or connecting home and office programs as and when is required. Similar to the above, in general the use of the bookshelves serves to subdivide the open plan space and to define a set of secondary activities around and adjacent to the main living/dining/lounge spaces, eg. foyer to dining, entrance hallway to bedroom and home office, library, reading niches, etc. Where the physicality of these bookshelves accomodate functions, the inbetween spaces as defined by their placements form the thresholds. This demanded that these custom built cabinets incorporate operable doors that give home and office programs accessibility and privacy as necessary. This means that the layout can accommodate a small range of scenarios be it catered towards either home or office program. Here are some preview images from a couple of weeks back.
On a recent visit to another one of our local malls for work, we chanced upon a hole in the wall gem of a bookstore/stationary shop. Rows of bookshelves flank a long corridor, filled to the brim with merchandise in ordered stacks and compartments of various sizes, colours and textures. I don’t know what is it with ‘bookshelf’ plans but these types of spaces but they never fail to excite me. The rows of shelves organise the shop space into smaller chambers subdividing the relatively small shop space (around 350 sqft) into a labyrinth of walls and passages. Even through the constricted spaces in between the shelves are small, the contrast between that and the long corridor space is interesting to note. If we refer this to the familiar architype of served and servant spaces as how Louis Khan talks about them, the typical relationship between the served spaces and servant spaces in this case - rooms and corridor - is somewhat reversed, both in terms of usage and scale. Where the corridor space was utilitarian and kept minimal, here it becomes the main activity space. Hardly a pure service space, it plays host to a multitude of functions. It is the space for browsing, circulation, paying, exchange, communication etc. Yet because of the depth of the bookshelf spaces (they extend some 2m outwards from the corridor space) this distinction becomes blurred as they look like they are really just extensions of the corridor space sidewards. The images below show the various spatial zones of the shop; the extent of the shelf space, the hole in the wall service counter and wall (which really is a 900mm thick interface between the public retail zone and private staff zone), typical product display and floor plan sketch.
On a similar note, we had worked on a proposal for a small retail shop (let’s just say they are categorically liked in terms of the shop size, display type, and nature of product) in which we started with the analysis of the maximum surface area of display required that can be created out of the given shop space. We adopted an organisation strategy based on building up a series of display ‘chambers’ that envelope the corridor spine. The chamber walls themselves subdivide the shop space (by projecting into the corridor space) into 7 smaller retail zones that corresponds to the various types of product and merchandise that is to be displayed.
In such a layout it would have seemed that the corridor space has ceased to become used just purely for circulation but very much a more immersive retail experience with it being part of the retail space as well.
I have observed of late a certain ’surface effect’ in the interior design of retail environments - that which I have called material distressing. Characterised by a distinct agitation of the surface properties of a material to bring about qualities of agedness, authenticity, character and naturality (if there’s such a word). It is as if the expression of this surface effect brought about a soul and personality to the particular material, making it unique, desirable and somewhat nostalgic. In the Rough Luxe Hotel in London, recently featured in Dezeen, luxury and rough-ness mix in an outward manifestation of ‘comfort’. Partially sanded walls, chipped paint, bare floorboards and peeling plaster take centrestage in contrast alongside opulent furnishings and fittings.
Here locally, retailers and their trendy interior designers are jumping on the bandwagon of distress, albeit of a different kind. Recently observed - what looked like either typical plywood or MDF joinery boards have been made to look like driftwood, complete with the bleached look, pre-requisite fades, knots and all. Definately a form of material distress going on here. (We did marvel at the technique applied, at the craftsmanship required to achieve it, but that’s another issue altogether). They randomly project from the backing wall creating yet another layer of relief, adding varying depths (as the spotlights cast shadows on it), suggesting a loose-fit, non-structured arrangement, and therefore a more casual and laid back ambience. You could tell that the designer really wanted the distressed look to surface, unto which probably brings about a certain emotive response to promote consumer buying and spending.
Distressed or not, I have no qualms about this. It ’s just that I prefer the authentic and natural form of distressing - one that is subject to a process of wear and/or weathered-ness to which the material effect can be attributed to. In the former, drawing upon the rich repository of a material’s changing character and surface effects through time, and then highlighting it as a form of preservation, nostalgic or not, is perfectly fine. It is electicism applied to decoration, a timeless and failsafe method of creating interest through material contrast. It is a physchological effect at work - effecting nuances of comfort, warmth, familiarity - a bit like your favorite pair of old jeans.
[Denim fading from raw to naturally distressed state - Image from www.evisu.com]
In fact, I do have a few favorite pairs of old jeans which I adore, and on that note, it might seem an appropriate subject to talk about. I’ve been meaning to introduce a post about my second most favorite topic of all time - yes, I’m talking about denim, denim as a material. It fades by default - through repeated wears, movements, abrasion, washes, whatever - real agitation. Worn correctly, denims should start off being raw (the fabric is not washed after being dyed during its production) and over time, it will fade and mold to your bodily contours, registering your movements, like a data bank and produce the most comfortable and natural fit. Not some model description from various denim brands that says ‘comfort’ fit, or ‘relaxed’ fit, or whatever. This process of distressing denim, and a natural one too, is often considered desirable by denimheads. Here, each whisker, honeycomb and lap or pocket fade will be unique to the wearer. This surface effect also creates contrast which comes in the form of seeing portions with faded undertones against deep, unsaturated hues of distressed raw denim.
Elsewhere however, mainstream denim producers are proclaiming ‘pre-distressed’ jeans are the new deal in denim trendspotting. Clearly tailored to mass consumption, where instant gratification is key, such garments go through elaborate distressing processes to achieve the ‘worn-in’ look. Even DIY websites give it a go. It does make you want to buy it, saving you the trouble, time and effort to get it faded and worn out with such precision, at the right places, with the right intensity, to give the right character. Yet such pre-distressed denim does not fit everyone. This is the paradox of it all. If denim distressed registers your physique and fades are proof of registration, then if you wear pre-distressed denim, you’d better be sure to find a pair that is made for you. Chances are that you will not.
[Pre-distressed denim showing unnatural craselines, honeycombs and faded areas at the wrong places, clearly unrelated to wearer's physique - Images from www.yesstyle.com]
Coming back to distressing, in the context of interior design. How does any of the denim talk relate in anyway to this? Do the fundamental properties of material distress in both contexts, bring on the same surface effects, but through very different mediums? I don’t know about you, but I must say I do enjoy seeing a pair of distressed, faded and worn denim jeans as much as seeing a space adorned with and characterised by richly textured, age-old materials producing that special surface effect. But one thing’s for sure. Just like how honeycombs on a wearer’s calf (that’s not where the knee joint is, obviously) looks silly and totally artificial, seeing sun-bleached timber panelling in an air-conditioned mid range brand boutique in a shopping mall feels the same way too. Bring it on……
[Image from www.mialinnman.blogspot.com]
[Images from the Abundant Australia exhibition catalogue]
For the 11th Venice International Architecture Biennale in 2008, the Australian Pavilion exhibited a collection of 300 models and called it ‘Abundant’. Aptly named, it showcases the emerging culture and landscape of architectural production by various Australian architectural and design practices. In a time characterised by rampant urbanisation and building development, this gesture forces us to rethink and retrace architectural production first and foremost as an abstract form of conceptual thinking that drives architectural ambition and intent, and to which building references itself to. At the same time, it sets up a discourse for the positioning of contemporary Australian architecture, often known for the “dramatic isolated building against an equally dramatic landscape”, to showcase the diversity and richness it represents. The last decade has been shaped by unprecedented access to new materials and technologies; coupled with an awareness for sustainable practices have engendered much progress and design innovation.
In Singapore from 30 November 2009 to 07 February 2010, Abundant Australia presents highlights from the Australian Pavilion in Venice in the condensed form of 144 models. Lined up and displayed on raised luminous yellow discs approximating a curvilinear footprint within the gallery space, the sense of ‘abundance’, of a certain air of innovation was clear and present. Pooling together the diverse content is no easy feat, given the range of models on exhibit in terms of scale, content, material, and production methods, there is inevitably a notable lack in overall coherence. Some individual models stand out due to its eye-catching forms, immaculate crafting or sheer honest simplicity. While we can appreciate their individual quality, be it in craft, design or purely for its form factor, what is the message that the curators would like us to go back with? But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that there is indeed no collective ‘theme’. If we’d drop the need to read the exhibition as a collective then this where the strength of the Australian offering lies - there is no singularity but rather a pluralism that stems from conceptualising, thinking, making and manifesting the works as hybrids, a kind of work in progress and re-iterations of each architect’s previous works, resenting typological categorisation and instead creating new constructs and contexts to situate the work within.
The pictures from my iPhone does not do the show justice. Do go out there and experience the vastness that is Australia.
Better late than never. The HandBurger @Raffles City is featured in issue 040 , 2009, Cubes magazine.
[image by Viction:ary]
Our copy arrived in the post this week. The book is an extension of the HKDA Asia Design Awards 2009, a multi-disciplinary award which had received more than 2000 entries from around the region. Designed and edited by Viction:ary one of Hong Kong’s foremost design and publishing house, it compiles over 350 winning and merited projects spanning a wide range of design categories. A few posts back, we made a post about our night at the awards ceremony and the awards we had won. It was indeed an honour for us to be selected as one of the winning entries and a joy to see it published here.
Do check out Viction:ary’s website for more sample pages of the book.
