Text description provided by the architects. The location of this project is very special — the roof of a huge shopping mall. Our client wants to build a small building here for recreation and receiving friends. This shopping mall is located in the CBD of the city. Due to its huge size, there are various forms of business in it, including shopping, catering and entertainment, while its consumers are from all classes of the society. It is extremely prosperous and busy here, and it is full of attraction and fun.
Our design is inspired by this unique field condition — to create a place which is totally different from the noisy surroundings. The effect we aim to achieve is that, when visitors pass the noisy busy streets and arrive at the roof, they get into a pure space, which is in great contrast with the surrounding spaces.
This project is on the east side of the roof of the shopping mall. It is a U-shaped space enclosed by rooms with different functions. The project is not big, covering a floor area of 320 square meters and a building area of 220 square meters. Means of space construction is extremely simple. A cuboid is inserted in the U-shaped space, and a wall is built on the open side of the U shape to ensure privacy. Spaces are left between the cuboid and the wall for building courtyard and patio.
Bamboos are planted all over the courtyard and patio, creating an image that the building is hidden in the bamboo forest. Function areas are very clear in the interior space. If we regard the private space and service space as two different boxes, then space between these two boxes is the public area.
Clear light, pure white and green bamboo are the main elements of the space. Courtyard, patios and skylights surround the building not only blur the boundary between interior and exterior to the greatest extent, but also bring natural lighting to the building from all direction. And the changes of light and shadow at different time of the day bring rich expression to the space. The pure white combines all elements and materials in the interior space and creates an extremely pure and abstract space atmosphere.
The bamboo forest around is a metaphor of nature: creating an imagery which makes people feel like being in the bamboo forest and enjoying the wind breeze. The clear light, pure white and green bamboo make the space abstract and ethereal, thus visitor could feel relaxed and eased up here.
