REFURBISHMENT OF A WAREHOUSE DESIGN BY TAO
TRACE ARCHITECTURE OFFICE
REFURBISHMENT OF A WAREHOUSE DESIGN BY TAO
TRACE ARCHITECTURE OFFICE
Located in an aeronautical factory on North 3rd Ring of Beijing, the
existing warehouse is a three bay 36 meter deep concrete structure, with 4
meter high space in first two bays and 7.8 meter space in last bay. The key
issue of design is to preserve the full height space for work area by inserting
a mezzanine floor in 4 meter high space, creating extra work area on top and
storage space underneath it. The contrast between very low space on mezzanine
and very high space of main area generates a spatial tension. A niche
underneath the cantilevered floor functions as the model displays. The original
facade is demolished and changed into full height glazing to reveal the
inserted white volume of intervention. The lounge room, as a new element, is
projected out from facade and turned into a showcase.
While the major materials used for new elements are steel plate, frost
glass, white gypsum board wall and vinyl floor to create abstraction of pure
volume, the original material of existing elements such as concrete, steel and
wood is re-exposed by removing the paint so as to emphasize its tectonic. Thus
a strong contrast is created between the abstraction of new element and heavy
textured existing structure.
LI HUA
TAO – TRACE
ARCHITECTURE OFFICE
B
TAO was founded by Li Hua in Beijing. It is a design studio
committed to architecture, urban, landscape, interior, and furniture design.
TAO is critical at architecture as an obsession to fancy forms in the context
of media based globalized consumerism and becoming either fashions or dogmas.
We are interested in
exploring ontological and essential meaning of space and tectonics in
architecture, and concerned with its social and environmental impacts. The
subjects such us sense of place, response to climate, material and construction
method, efficient use of resource, are explored in each TAO project with its
specific context.
SPACE
Space is a memory, discovery and inspiration. It is definitely not
just a rational term defining functions. Space is perhaps most powerful aspect
in architecture which can challenge our unconsciousness to our existence
condition. Inspiring space can ask us questions: where you are? How you want to
exist? So to create spaces which can provoke our curiosity and doubts is the
most profound mission for architecture.
TECTONICS
The construction is the essential means of realizing architecture.
Thus, architecture is not just abstract but physical and material. The
tectonics should obey an order following laws of nature, instead of
arbitrariness relying on technologies. In this, there are three things
important: 1. Authenticity – a quality which resists the dislocation of
meaning. It reveals the essence of things; 2. Clarity - a desire of expression of true logic
in structural and material although it may not be completely achieved visually;
3. Here and now - a respect
to ‘’ gravity ‘’ of our existence in sense of place and time. Architecture
belongs to specific site and context in both environmental and cultural sense,
we should work with limits and discover the solution with a creative mind.
FEELING – THINKING
Beauty is not dead. Also ‘’ beauty can not be created overnight ‘’
( Kahn ). Beauty is always there, waiting to be discovered by man, only the way
of seeing beauty is transforming constantly. This is a belief in feelings, rather
than thoughts. If thought are the shadows of our feelings – always darker,
emptier, simpler ( Nietzsche ) , then we should really be suspicious to the
abusing power of any concepts in name of intellect. Beauty thus exists in
silence.
TIME
Doing architecture, we are anticipating the future, but with our
memory. Architecture is a dramatic meeting between past and future, while has
to be realized by present means. Thus Architecture belongs to a time, but it
can also go beyond its time. Architecture without style, without appearance,
without metaphor, will last and present itself in spirit.
