© Hamed Badami

• Architects: Harmonic Trend [L]
• Location: Hamadan Province, Hamedan, Buali Sina Square, Iran
• Architect In Charge: Ali Hamidi Moghadam
• Area: 110.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Hamed Badami

• Consulting Engineers Co : Harmonic Trend [L]
• Model: Mahya Zeyneddin
• Diagram: Mohamad Hosein Rahimian
• Associates: M. Sajad Ghaderi, Yasna Izadi, Kamran Navayi, Hasan Asnavandi, Irsa Khaleghi
• Construction Company: Harmonic Trend [L]
• Budget: 32000 USD

© Hamed Badami

From the architect. Project subject

Interior design and reconstruction of “MAHER” women’s apparel (clothes – dresses) store, which is a part of a fine 40 years old building. MAHER store has been in Hamedan for more than 60 years.

© Hamed Badami

Locality (Location in city)

This building is located next to the circle, which houses the mausoleum of late BOO ALI SINA a well- known doctor and philosopher. This location is a tourist attraction. City dwellers and tourists are wondering around in the area for shopping or otherwise. This point has been a main source for the design idea.

© Hamed Badami

Design description

Design has been formulated in such a way in which store’s internal space is a continuation of city’s space and impact of the city is felt in the store. In fact, if the commercial application of the store is removed, still it could be a proper space for people to wondering around the city and could be taken as a part of city. The experience and memory of a space whether commercial or otherwise motivates people to go back to space, for shopping or entertainment.

© Hamed Badami

Huge staircase, aligned with city

There was a balcony inside the building, which was demolished during the reconstruction, due to structural problems. This created a space with 5.5 meters height. We placed the staircase in this space as an independent object. This object (staircase) is independent, with 50 cm distance from the walls of the main building. The staircase has created diverse spaces with various applications within 5.5 meters height. People could walk through the stairs, which goes through store’s glass showcase, stop at landings of it and look around. They could also stop at the last landing, which is a kind of a balcony.

Diagrams

Showcase, a place for people to go through, not mannequins

Usually, mannequins placed in the showcase to attract people, and customers to the store. However, in MAHER store, mannequins are not placed in a showcase and instead people see some walkers who go through, stop or even sit in the showcase. People from outside watch those inside and those inside watch them outside. In a way, mannequins and people have taken each other place.

© Hamed Badami

In MAHER store, people who go through staircase in the showcase are visible and attracting people from outside not the dressed mannequins. This feature gives a distinctive position to the MAHER store, as mannequins have scattered throughout store.

Section

In this design project, a social topic is addressed and a social expression, evaluation and interpretation of mannequin-ism are done via architectural space.

© Hamed Badami

Inner space skin (membrane)

An independent inner space skin, coordinated with old building’s walls is created in the main space of the building with 5.5 meters height. This is an integral membrane, which covers floor, walls and ceiling and its form and texture are integrated with Persians patterns in a nostalgic way.

© Hamed Badami

In relation to the organizing volume of huge staircase, diversified and attractive spaces are created (in every turn 0f 360 it happens frequently). Depths, shades and repetitions in the texture, creates a particular space which promotes the space potential and people desire for shopping and converts it to a desirable space for wondering around and entertainment. 

© Hamed Badami

Supports and services allocations

Fitting room is located at the top of the huge staircase, on a last landing as an attached box with a triangle base. Services and storage spaces are separately located on the store’s ground floor.

Floor Plan

Handrails and regales, an integrated and continuous structure

Staircase’s handrails and landings end up to regales and dress hanging location, which make an independent, continuous and integrated structure, while each as an separate object has its own structure and configuration. Either at the top or on the ground floor, all of them are integrated and continuous pipes, which are running at 50 cm distance from the staircase and main membrane. 

© Hamed Badami

A central column

We did not try to hide that column and we approached it as an added element in general space design and in contrast with … ceiling. In addition, it was a major factor for laying out elements in internal zoning, circulation and directions.

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Courtesy of WOHA

• Architects: WOHA
• Location: 100 Peck Seah St, Singapore
• Area: 19416.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Courtesy of WOHA

• Team : Wong Mun Summ, Richard Hassell, Phua Hong Wei, Bernard Lee, Kim Young Beom, Evelyn Ng, Christina Ong, Huang Yue, Larissa Tan, Chen Shunann, Iyan Mulyadi, Oscar Korintus, Victoria Meadows, Simopoulou Olympia Konstantinou, Donovan Soon, Ang Chow Hwee, Dennis Kwek
• Interior Design: Studio Patricia Urquiola
• Client : Far East SOHO Pte Ltd
• Electrical: Kimta Electric Pte Ltd
• Acmv: Great Resources M&E Contractor Pte Ltd
• Fire Protection: Rico Engineering Works Pte Ltd
• Plumbing, Sanitary, Gas: Great Resources M&E Contractor Pte Ltd
• Lift: Kone Pte Ltd
• Pool & Water Features: Yi Wee Pools and Fountains Pte Ltd
• Aluminum & Glazing: Jinyue Aluminium Engineering (S) Pte Ltd
• Building Maintenance System: EW Cox SE Asia Pte Ltd
• Auto Irrigation: Tropical Environment Pte Ltd
• Card Access System: Assa Abloy Hospitality Pte Ltd
• Softscape: Tropical Environment Pte Ltd
• Signage: Gleason Advertising Pte Ltd
• Id Office Interior: New Pace Furnishing Pte Ltd
• Id Office Common: New Pace Furnishing Pte Ltd
• Id Hotel Guestrooms: New Pace Furnishing Pte Ltd
• Id Hotel Common: Falcon Incorporation Pte Ltd

Courtesy of WOHA

From the architect. A verdant tower of green in the heart of Singapore’s dense Central Business District (CBD), Oasia Hotel Downtown is a prototype of land use intensification for the urban tropics. Unlike the sleek and sealed skyscrapers that evolved out of the temperate west, this tropical “living tower” offers an alternative image to the sleek technology of the genre.

Courtesy of WOHA

In response to the brief for distinct Offices, Hotel & Club rooms, WOHA created a series of different strata, each with its own sky garden. These additional “ground” levels allow generous public areas for recreation and social interaction throughout the high-rise, despite the inner city high density location.

Courtesy of WOHA

Section

Courtesy of WOHA

Closely overlooked by surrounding towers, the tower carves out its own internal spaces and dynamic views instead of relying on external vistas for visual interest. Each sky garden is treated as an urban scale verandah, sheltered at high level by the preceding sky garden and open sided for formal and visual transparency. The openness also allows breezes to pass through the building for good cross-ventilation. In this way, the public areas become functional, comfortable, tropical spaces with greenery, natural light and fresh air instead of enclosed, internalised air conditioned spaces.

Courtesy of WOHA

Landscaping is used extensively as an architectural surface treatment and forms a major part of the development’s material palette both internally and externally. Achieving an overall Green Plot Ratio of 1,100%, the tower is conceived as a haven for birds and animals, reintroducing biodiversity into the city. This quantum of green is an exciting number, as it effectively compensates for the lack of green in 10 surrounding buildings. The tower’s red aluminum mesh cladding is designed as a backdrop that reveals itself in between 21 different species of creepers, with colourful flowers interspersed among green leaves, providing food for the birds and insects. The creepers will form a mosaic with each type taking over its most suitable conditions of light, shade and wind. Instead of a flat roof, the skyscraper is crowned with a tropical bower; floral, diverse, soft and alive.

Courtesy of WOHA

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© OUYANG Yun

• Architects: C.DD
• Location: Foshan, Guangdong, China
• Chief Designer: HE Xiao-Ping, LI Xing-Lin
• Design Team: YU Guo-Neng, LIANG Yi-Hui, LV Zhuo-Ming, CAI Tie-Lei
• Area: 9.0 m2
• Photographs: OUYANG Yun

• Main Materials: perforated steel plate, LOW-E, bamboo

© OUYANG Yun

It is a cubic architectural installation of 3m*3m*3m. This is not a large space; however, it carries the designers’ great affection and thinking for their hometown Foshan. The core concept of the design could be summed up in one phrase” Origin of everything”.

© OUYANG Yun

Actually, this architectural installation is an exhibit represents Foshan designed by the designers when invited by Expressions of The City during Guangzhou Design Week. Because the organizer sets limitations to the size of exhibition work, so the designers choose a cube which has the largest volume as the carrier of the architectural installation to express the vast theme “city”. The use of the cube allows the designers to present a journey back to “Foshan” and their original minds around the core concept of “Origin of everything”.

© OUYANG Yun

Concept

© OUYANG Yun

For the structure, the designers use bamboos to form a smaller rectangular space around the geometric center of the cube. A one-way path which allows passage of only one person is thus built along the four lateral facades of the cube. This is the road for the journey. However, when look at the cross section of the whole space from above, the two squares created by the bamboo wall and exterior wall together form the Chinese character “Hui”, which symbolizes “return to the origin”

© OUYANG Yun

Plan

© OUYANG Yun

The process of “Hui”has begun before visitors enter into the architectural installation. Visitors could come into this space alone through a narrow entrance, walk slowly and circle the space with the playing of background music which has a sense of ritual. While looking through the gaps between the bamboos, semi-finished Chinese Southern lion and Chinese leather drum placed in the centre could be seen; it is like a journey from outside to inside of both your inner self and the environment. In respect of spatial level , this  journey , from external environment, the steel plate material of the façade, to the bamboo of the inner wall, and then to the traditional prototypes which enclosed by bamboo, allows visitors to experience the process from modern to ancient and from new to old,  and offers visitors enlightenment from a different angle. 

© OUYANG Yun

For the designers, “Origin” means Foshan and the original selves. The Chinese Southern lion placed at the right centre of the space is originated from Xiqiao district, Nanhai county, Foshan. Thus it represents part of  Foshan’s important traditional culture and it represents the root of the designers as well. Beatings of drum is necessary when performing a lion dance, so a primitive leather drum prototype is placed under the white body of the Chinese Southern lion, they appear as one set. What is worth mentioning is that, the designers choose semi-finished Chinese Southern lion instead of a completed Chinese Southern lion with eyes is because that they could take use of the light permeability of the white body; they could make the image of the Chinese Southern lion more rich through placing flashing lights inside the white body. As the beatings of the drum leads the emotions and actions of the lion dance, the background music in this space matches with the flashing colorful lights. So visitors would see the lion in red or in green from time to time, and the colors express different emotions. 

© OUYANG Yun

The imagery which represents Foshan also appeared on the façade – the designers piece together the maps of Foshan city and Nanhai county and the words “Foshan”on the steel plate wall with small holes. Functionally, it strengthens the ventilation of the space and gives visitors a better feeling on the one hand; on the other hand, these small holes bring light to the space – apart from that, only the rectangular roof which is partitioned off by bamboos that could provide natural light for the space.  From the aspect of artistic conception, considering that mirrors are used in both the ceiling and floor of the corridor, when sunlight enters into the space through the holes, under the reflection of the mirror, the whole space will become more mysterious, fantasy and changeable. This is the artistic conception needed to be created for the journey of our mind.  And such artistic conception will change according to the position that the installation is placed— when the angle of the sunshine changed, the picture create by light through the holes will change accordingly.

© OUYANG Yun

The whole design process is more like a process of re-learning and understanding  of the traditional culture of their hometown, said the designers. But due to the limit of space, so what could be expressed is limited as well. What they hope is that through this well-chosen design expression, more and more people could pay attention to Foshan and try to understand Foshan. From higher level, the designers hope every visitor could be inspired by the architectural installation so as to pay more attention to their hometown’s traditional culture and the original self, no matter where they come from and where they are. 

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