Shanghai-based studio Archi-Union designs this landmark Linpan Cloud Eye as a community center in Qingxia Town, a rural village of China‘s Sichuan Province. The three-level building can be found about an hour’s drive from Chengdu. Surrounded by bamboo forest and mountain streams, the project serves as a cultural and community health hub while embracing the site’s natural topography.

The center is tucked into a hillside clearing where a stream enters from the east. Archi-Union retained the dense bamboo grove and arranged the program around a small courtyard that steps upward with the slope. Activity spaces occupy the lower two floors, and a third-floor terrace opens to mountain views. This vertical layering creates a parallel relationship with a nearby cliffside and frames distant fields through roof apertures, inspiring its name, ‘Cloud Eye.’

images © Ke Wang

archi-union’s digitally-designed rooftop

Visitors enter along a bamboo-lined path, which the team at Archi-Union designs to conceal the Linpan Cloud Eye until the last turn. A flowing roof canopy guides them into a series of outdoor platforms that link interior and exterior spaces. Three primary courtyards — a bamboo entry, a central green, and a roof terrace — are open for community gatherings and everyday use. Wide openings and covered walkways reflect traditional Sichuan typologies while maintaining clear circulation.

The building can be recognized by its dramatic rooftop, whose sculptural construction is supported by three curved steel beams. The precise geometries of these beams were generated through digital modeling, then rationalized into straight segments for efficient fabrication. A skin of locally-crafted bamboo finishes the ceilings and handrails, bringing an element of regional craft to the contemporary architecture. These natural textures soften the concrete and steel structure and reinforce the center’s dialogue with its environment.

Linpan Cloud Eye sits within a bamboo forest in China’s Sichuan Province

robotic craft for a rural site

A key interior feature of the Linpan Cloud Eye is its ‘water wall,’ a 3D-printed element created by Archi-Union to capture the movement of nearby creek water in sculpted folds. The architects used algorithmic design to translate the water’s shifting surface into machine-readable code, allowing robots to fabricate the panels with precision. The result brings a digital logic to a project otherwise defined by its handcrafted bamboo work and rural design language.

Elevated ground-floor areas hover over the bamboo grove, while upper levels offer quieter spaces and panoramic platforms. By combining advanced construction methods with vernacular forms and local craft, the project establishes a contemporary precedent for rural development that honors its landscape and lends a space for the community.

the building follows the natural slope with three vertically-stacked levels

the flowing rooftop guides visitors through courtyards and terraces

traditional bamboo weaving softens the concrete and steel structure

three curved steel beams, generated by digital modeling, support the continuous roof

a 3D-printed water wall echoes the motion of nearby creek water

the project hybridizes advanced fabrication methods with regional craft

project info:

name: Linpan Cloud Eye

architect: Archi-Union | @archi_union

location: Chengdu, China

area: 868 square meters

completion: 2022

photography: © Ke Wang

The post archi-union combines digital fabrication and bamboo craft with ‘linpan cloud eye’ appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

as an official media partner of ROB|ARCH 2018, designboom spoke with philip f. yuan, one of the event’s keynote speakers, who leads shanghai-based firm archi-union. as part of the interview, which can be read in full below, the chinese architect discusses the importance of culture and tradition, and explains how robotic fabrication can lead to a ‘cyborg future’.

this exhibtion venue in shanghai was built in just 100 days | image by fangfang tian (also main image)
read more about the project on designboom here

designboom (DB): archi-union combines digital technology with craftsmanship. why is it so important to maintain a sense of tradition in your work?

philip f. yuan (PFY): for our studio, digital technology is not only a design tool, but also a new thinking methodology, in which the thinking process unites both the global technology and local cultures. I often refer to this as a ‘glocal’ thinking process. if an architect would like to construct a building within a local context, it would be essential to learn from and at the same time to education the local traditions and local construction industry.

I have been doing a number of projects in rural areas or highly localized areas in china. I noticed that learning from the local could assist to rationalize many aspects within the design such as materiality and social performance and at the same time, integrating global theories and technologies into tradition would redefine and even upgrade the production process of traditional rural construction.

this pavilion in china is shaped like a giant infinity symbol
image by li han

DB: you have used the phrase ‘digital tectonics’. can you explain what this means in relation to your projects?

PFY: the term ‘tectonics’ combines the idea of fabrication and culture. the poetic process is seen not only in designs, but also embedded into construction. in addition to it, digital tectonics utilizes robotic and digital tools to represent process from design to fabrication and foresees its entire lifecycle.

read more about the project on designboom here
image by bian lin


DB: can you recall when you first became interested in the possibilities of digital technology and robotic fabrication?

PFY: I started to teach joint studios between MIT and tongji univeristy in 2003 and later during 2008 and 2009, I was invited as a visiting scholar to MIT. the experience of teaching and communicating between two universities has brought potential influences into my later research directions. digital aspects started to appear in my studios. at the same time, I was also fascinated by robotic fabrication technologies, automation and the potential collaborations between machines and human, which I believe would really reshape the future architectural industry.

robotic fabrication techniques were employed in the façade of this art gallery
image by shengliang su

DB: what do you consider to be digital technology’s most interesting aspects/potential?

PFY: the development of artificial intelligence and mobile devices has set up a new social system, named as ‘information society’, which allows for quick information exchange and visualization. by visualizing all the abstract aspect within design, we are able to integrate virtual reality into physical fabrication and materialization process. such information based knowledge system will shift the relationship between design and fabrication, as well as architects and fabricators.

the renaissance age has celebrated craftsmanship the culture of ‘makers’ in which the role of architect and fabricator was blurred. nowadays, the implementation of robotic technologies introduces new fabrication ‘partners’ to architects and such collaboration-based relationship will evoke new craftsmanship for the current social system. it would be a creative and innovative process and I can see loads of potentials in the robotic age for architectural industry.

read more about the project on designboom here
image by yuchen hu

DB: how do you develop your ideas? do you often sketch/draw, even though computers are so prevalent?

PFY: I was educated to design in a conventional manner and back then we did not even have computers. now in our studios, we use both hand drawing/ sketching and computational iterations to test design ideas and the decision making process is often base on the combination of both. ‘going digital’ doesn’t mean we replace architects with machines.

instead, we form collaborations. we utilize digital means to assist architects to visualize and analyze intangible aspects or abstract ideas in the physical world, as well as to simulate and optimize the designs. the fabrication process can even be more precise and efficient through the use of machine, thus releases human beings from repetitive laboring to work in a more creative and innovative manner. since the era of industrialization, the use of machine is irreversible and thus ‘design’ should not be a human oriented process anymore — instead, a collaboration process.

this cultural center features curved and undulating walls
image © hao chen

DB: how do you assess the current state of architecture in china?

PFY: in the last 30-40 years, china has created many miracles in architectural and real-estate industries and of course, the development has also raised series of issues. perhaps now it is time for us to re-think and re-value our design and construction process within the industry in a more ethical manner for not only efficiency, but also environmentally friendly approaches. and also for the future, I do see the potential of replacing a large number of labors in architectural and construction industries since the cost for labor has become too high for the industry to afford, especially for constructions in china’s rural areas.

read more about the project on designboom here
image © hao chen

DB: what do you think other countries can learn from china? and what can china learn from other countries?

PFY: the past 30 decades is a witness of fast-developing economics and construction of china. based on the spirit of experimentation and exploration, our industry has been able to turn a number of utopian ideas into realty and we have established a highly efficient relationship between research and practice. however, the other side of the ‘rapid speed’ is also questionable, in which the quality and reason for the growth needs to be critically reflected.

we should start to consider designs that have more dialogues with the ecology, urban context and ethical duties as human beings, which have been discussed many years in other countries. meanwhile, it is also important for us to focus on exploring innovations in architecture, especially the essential part such as materiality, structure and construction techniques.

this cable car station is embedded into the hillside
image © su shengliang, lin bian

DB: what do you feel are the biggest challenges for architects today? and how can robotic fabrication help?

PFY: architecture is not just about solid blocks; instead we are defined by broader definitions including both tangible and intangible elements like process and information. thus I believe the current challenge for architects is to understand not only the design, but also other aspects around our discipline such as structure, engineering, computer science and etc. as a result, such shift will also challenge the future architectural education structure, which requires us to build up a systematic knowledge structure and constantly learn from surrounding disciplines to be able to cope with the ever-changing world. in this context, our studio has taken the advantage of robotic fabrication and embraced it into the practice as a collaborative partner.

read more about the project on designboom here
image © su shengliang, lin bian

DB: what is the role of an architect in today’s society?

PFY: in many projects, architects are not only designers but also curators, who need to produce not only drawings and images, but also understand the organization of social and construction networks and foresee the process from paper to reality. this requires us to build up an integrative thinking system and self-education abilities for always embracing new knowledge and technologies.

philip f. yuan leads shanghai-based architecture firm archi-union

DB: are you optimistic about the future of architecture?

PFY: I am very optimistic about the future and I see loads of opportunities ahead. the discipline for future architecture will extends from ‘physical (3 dimensional)’ to ‘virtual (hyper-dimensional)’ and architectural experience will include not only ‘spatial’ but also other forms of interactions such as exchange of information and process visualization. thus the future architecture will require extensive amount of customizations for different users and different interfaces of communication. we would shift gradually from a human-centralized process and rely more and more on machines and digital means. I refer to this as a ‘cyborg future’.

ROB|ARCH is an event that explores robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design. taking place between september 10-15, the 2018 event is hosted at ETH zurich, switzerland, by the NCCR digital fabrication, ETH zurich and the association for robots in architecture under the theme ‘radical cross-disciplinarity’. designboom is an official media partner of ROB|ARCH 2018. more information and registration: www.robarch2018.org. you can also follow the event on instagram: @robarch2018

the ROB|ARCH 2018 conference series is a collaborative effort between the hosting universities, industry partners and the association for robots in architecture. initiated by the association for robots in architecture in 2012, past conferences were hosted by the technical university vienna (2012), the university of michigan’s taubman college of architecture and urban planning (2014), and the university of sydney’s faculty of architecture, design and planning.

The post towards a ‘cyborg future’: ROB|ARCH interview with archi-union’s philip f. yuan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

all images by fangfang tian

‘venue B’ is situated next to the west bund art center, as well as other cultural spaces such as the west bund art museum by david chipperfield, the tank shanghai art park, and SANAA’s brand new office space. responding to the spatial planning of the riverside network, archi-union organically divided the building into three main parts, according to different functions, such as future exhibitions, summits, and forums. an overall white tone connects it to the language of the surrounding public buildings, while its rather simple, ‘restrained’ form outlines the unique contemporary art atmosphere of the west coast of shanghai. 

a shared urban green space with shelter and semi-openings welcomes guests through two triangular park entrances — the result of the twist of the three main buildings of the venue. after stepping through the garden, visitors can immediately feel the warmth of the timber structure which blends harmoniously with the overall white palette. when the two public spaces are fully opened, they become a pocket park within the city fabric, while when they are semi-opened, they indicate the circulation and stitch together the three main volumes buffering internal traffic. both courtyards are covered with a digital prefabricated timber vaulted roof, in which the larger one has a span of 40 meters and its structural thickness is only about 0.5 meters, marking it the most economical inter-supported steel-wood roof in the world. 

the main building uses a prefabricated light aluminum truss system, which allows for accurate construction and bears the lightest unit weight from all known materials. considering the need of rapid construction, the building model and façade treatments employ conventional products, while the main façade features a refined cross-steel keel system and a semi-concealed polycarbonate curtain wall that create a translucent spatial texture, elegantly transforming and filtering the urban space into the exhibition space. the main entrance is slightly retracted and the extension of the roof is used to form a gateway for the entrance gallery, indicating the openings of the main façade. 

the overall arch of the structure is balanced by the lateral arrangement of the steel trusses and is further reinforced at the three corners. all beam heads are optimized in a parametric manner and such data is then used to guide the digital fabrication for milling and boring, while the joints feature a standardized hollow aluminum structure that further reduces roof weight while facilitating prefabrication and on-site construction. on-site construction for the 2,000 sqm timber shell took only 29 days. 

in addition to the main structure, archi-union designed a 120 sqm translucent 3D-printed coffee pavilion within the large garden along with nearly 50 seats to form a space for rest, communication and tea breaks during the summit. on top of that, at the front of venue B the architects have placed the elytra filament pavilion, a black and white structure designed and constructed by the team from the university of stuttgart’s institute for computational design (ICD) and the institute of building structures and structural design (ITKE). 

project info:

project: west bund world ai conference venue B

location: longtengdadao road , xuhui district, shanghai china

developer: shanghai west bund development group co., ltd.

design: archi-union architecture design co., ltd.

contractor: hongrun construction group co., ltd.

digital fabrication: fab-union architectural technology and digital fabrication co., ltd.

landscape: shanghai ecog garden co., ltd.

floor area: 8,885 sqm

principal architect: philip f. yuan

design team, architecture: alex han, jinxi jin, lei lin, jinyu huang, xiao zhang

3D robotic printed pavilion design: ce li, chun xu, sijie gao, zhenxiang huang

interior: fuzi he, jingyan tang

structural engineer: zhun zhang, junchao shen, tao huang, rui wang

mep: ying yu, yong wang, dawei wei

digital fabrication: wen zhang, xuwei wang, yong peng, liming zhang, ce li, zhimin wan, chun xu, sijie gao, zhenxiang huang

The post archi-union builds 8,885 sqm venue in 100 days using prefab construction and 3D-printing appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

‘the theme of the china pavilion is about constructing the future countryside, and the future countryside is not just about following tradition, you also need to input some new technology, some new knowledge to the culture – it’s a kind of connection of the past and the future,’ yuan states, ‘bamboo is a tradition, it’s in our culture, people like the texture and the materiality, so the question is how to make something innovative based on the same material, this is the challenge for us.’ ‘the materiality in this project is based on a new process, which is strongly changed by the machine, so I think, the future will be based on the collaboration between the human and the machine,’ the architect explains about the decision to combine traditional construction techniques with prefabricated industrialization. 

image by li han

one of the issues the chinese countryside currently faces is that it is mostly populated by elder people, while the young generation is moving to the big cities. through ‘in bamboo’, philip f. yuan aims to attract more people back to the villages, both for industry and for tourism purposes. ‘it’s not just one building, it’s seven projects in the village, which can help it have a more distinct identity, a more attractive identity,’ he explains. after the community center, other projects in the area will include a b&b for city people who want to spend a weekend ther, a conference building and workshop spaces while the architect hopes to create a model that other villages can follow. ‘architecture is not just about the space or the form, it’s about social networks,’ he states. ‘in bamboo’ has proven to be a great success in the chinese countryside, and when asked about future plans, yuan mentions, ‘this new identity for the small, unknown village has been so successful that another village nearby has invited us, so I’m looking forward to set up some robotic factory right now – I would not want to design one building, but a system that will serve more the local people.’ 

image © designboom

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image © gao changjun

image © gao changjun

 image © designboom

designboom’s coverage of the 2018 venice architecture biennale is in partnership with leading energy company edison. edison is taking part in the 16th international architecture exhibition of la biennale di venezia by initiating a path towards sustainability and the efficient use of resources. the collaboration between edison and la biennale is based on awareness that energy is one of the fundamental elements of architecture and of the places, spaces and cities of contemporary life.

The post archi-union interview reveals details of chinese bamboo pavilion at venice biennale appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

all images by bian lin, unless otherwise stated | main image by philip f. yuan

working in an area known for its bamboo weaving traditions, archi-union was inspired by a poem by the song dynasty poet lu you. ‘building can only try to start a dialogue with earth, while plants belong to the earth,’ explains archi-union’s principle architect philip f. yuan. ‘we were trying our best to maintain everything, and keep the most stay still.’ the design team says that the relationships between inside and outside, bamboo and tile, and new and old are meant to be experienced beneath the ‘infinite shape’ of the roof.

the building takes the shape of an infinity symbol | image by li han

‘the site is located on two adjacent mismatched land parcels,’ explain the architects. ‘in each of these parcels we drew one large circle; these two circles came together determining the large contour for our building while still preserving the surrounding bamboo forest and trees. within this new boundary we sought to maximize the continuity, horizontality and ductility of the space. the floating roof provides the widest possible view of the pristine natural vista outside. at its best, the visitor is left with a sense of merging with nature itself.’

the tiled roof canopy sweeps down dramatically

the building’s mobius-shaped roof is supported by a light prefabricated steel frame and is finished with ceramic tiles, common to the region. ‘on the roof of our building the tile is like a pixel, computed to describe the subtle geometric complexity of this continuous roof,’ the architects continue. ‘in this way the tiles became the intermediary linking vernacular building language with abstract geometry.’ upon entering the building, two courtyards are revealed, each defined within the curves of the sweeping roof. the open space offers a sense of tranquility, where visitors can experience the changing seasons. meanwhile, a previously existing garden has been preserved in its original state and use.

glass is used to ensure a connection between interior and exterior space

to assemble the project in less than seven and a half weeks, the architects used a method of digitally prefabricated structural wood. this ensured that the team was able to reduce waste while increasing the speed of installation. ‘in the development of this project, abundant research from years of experimenting with digital structural wood fabrication technology was put to use,’ says archi-union.

the venue is capable of hosting exhibitions, conferences, and meals

the architects say that the project stands as an example of how prefabrication could redefine and upgrade the production process of traditional rural construction. ‘these changes will not be made in the immediate future, nor should they replace the traditional craft construction closely tied to rural life and industry,’ explain the architects. ‘instead we should consider where opportunities for innovation and improvement lie that might integrate existing traditional construction methods with new technology and new construction methods.’

a range of community events take place inside the pavilion

in completing the project, archi-union looked at local architecture industry research and learned the limits of using bamboo as a building’s primary structural system. the design team worked with a local artisan who modeled over 20 variations of different weaving patterns using thin strips of material. the woven bamboo chosen for the building’s façade is intended to produce the effect of seeing something familiar but encountering it in a new context.

a sculptural and independent kiosk also forms part of the project

‘although the project is small, we invested great effort requiring the participation of many people,’ archi-union concludes. ‘digital design technology, architecture traditions, and cultural context are the combined forces guiding our work. in the process of innovation, a respect for culture, a respect for people and a respect for nature can be present; this is what we want from the in bamboo project.’

‘in bamboo’ gently illuminated during evening hours

the region is known for its bamboo weaving traditions

ceramic tiles have been used to clad the building’s roof | image by li han

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project info:

name: in bamboo
location: dao ming town, chongzhou, sichuan province, china
construction: chongzhou city chongzhong exhibition industry investment co., ltd
floor area: 1,800 sqm
design stage: 2016.08 – 2017.04
construction stage: 2016.12 – 2017.04
principal architect: philip f. yuan
architecture: alex han, xiangping kong, bing yang, tianrui zhu
interior: qinhao wen, xiaoming chen, jingyan tang
structure: jing wang, lei li, chen liang, qiang zhou
electromechanical: yong liu, ying yu, qiang zhou
photography: bian lin 

The post archi-union’s bamboo pavilion in china is shaped like a giant infinity symbol appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

all images © su shengliang, lin bian

the design concept of archi-union’s qiandao lake cable car station takes form by abstracting the mountain’s figure through digital examination to study the geographical information. as a result, the site had a four-sided rectangular shaped area that would foreshadow the resulting appearance of the cable car station.

the layout of stacked volumes was envisioned by abstracting the form of the mountain

the design team took advantage of the cable car with its variety of spectacular views of the site and its surroundings. therefore, a system was elaborated to maximize the use of an aerial cantilevered structure and minimize the occurrence of structure on the ground. the four-sided figure that began during the design concept evolved into a new geometry closely related to the landscape and a structure challenging the standards of construction and cantilever constraints.

the project acts as a gate to the new center of the town responding to its surrounding

using time-based sorting, analytical models, selection methods and various stages of reduction, a mountain based landscape building emerged. what was once a collection of geometry fragments now merged into a cohesive whole, producing an object that was tucked into the fabric of the mountain itself without losing its autonomy. the process revealed a multivalent lively land-formed space that evolved using new independent geometry discovered at the site itself. from the summit down to the base, the building is an extension of the mountain, imbuing the whole structure with meaning, creating the building as an abstraction of nature itself.

the project strives for intimacy with the location and harmony between architecture and its environment

the design solution uses soaring forms, establishing the frame of the scene near a magnificent body of water. the architecture enclosure wraps spaces for exhibition, dining and commercial areas, as well as, other facilities in its inner courtyard. the hope is for the natural landscape forms of the architecture to impart formidable memories that will last long after leaving.

when tourists arrive by cable car they have only one vista to soak in

composite bamboo plywood integrates structure into surroundings

the design frames the heavenly scene of the qiandao lake

on the water’s edge there is a boat dock built with long planks of stone

the islands nestle together in the lake before the site

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The post archi-union’s cable car station frames the natural vista of the qiandao lake appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

chinese studio archi-union has completed the jade museum located in the heart of the pedestrian shopping district of xintiandi in shanghai, china. situated within an established structure, the architects sought out a solution to create a space that departs from the aesthetic of the host building that reflects the traditional details and style of the area. the exhibit space primarily hosts displays related to the rich history of chinese jade. this, along with the long-standing art of calligraphy, became the impetus for the interior mood and design. the sphere was chosen to deliver this concept- a primal shape, structurally efficient and symbolic in nature- occupying the interior in various dimensions and positions as voids, fluidly transitioned one into the other. 

a series of intersection spherical voids form a resultant structure reminiscent of a hollowed cave
image © hao chen (also first image)

the black and white images of hao chen capture the intention of the interior landscape. sinuous three-dimensional forms capture light and brush it along the various surfaces gradually fading into the space. the result archi-union achieved was to conceal the existing structure, to create an atmosphere completely diverse from the exterior that related to its principle subject of exhibition. digital fabrication methods allowed the construction to be completed in a very short time- a requirement by the client. the assembly method also promoted the idea of geology as the walls are characterized by endless thin layers of material that allude to the layers of rock. the sequence of voided spheres through the space determines the procession of movement through the exhibition halls, providing a variety of spaces suitable for different exhibits.

curved surface on all sides completely disconnect the visitor from the traditional structure of the exterior
image © hao chen

the layered construction alludes to the layers of rock
image © hao chen

the central space provides the largest area
image © hao chen

image © hao chen

displayes are embedded into the curved walls
image © hao chen

image © hao chen

image © hao chen

image © hao chen

image © hao chen

image © hao chen

the exterior provides no hints as to the space inside
image © hao chen

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project info:

project name: pushi jade art museum · xintiandi · shanghai
location: no. 383 south huangpi road, huangpu district, shanghai
design company: archi-union architects
chief architect: philip f.yuan
design team: han li yan chao zhu tianrui kong xiangping chen xiaoming sheng junchao
digital fabrication development and build: fab-union
photography: chen hao
area: 695 m²
design: 2016. 5
completion: 2016. 10

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The post archi-union interprets jade museum from 3D calligraphy appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

the rapidly developing west bund area of shanghai, china, is set to become one of the bigger art districts in the city- a setting which led local studio archi-union to maximize the floor-area ratio of the modest site while maintaining an architectural expression when designing the fab-union space. the micro-scale reinforced concrete structure is to serve as a future non-profit contemporary art, architecture and cultural communication center with flexible gallery and communication spaces.

image © hao chen (also first image)

in order to maximize the amount of space, archi-union divided the building into the east and west zones. the east contains two floors with a 4.2 meter floor-to-ceiling height while the west contains three floors measuring a more standard 2.8 meters in height. the combination of the floors provides the necessary space to accommodate a range of activities and future exhibits, effectively taking full advantage of the building’s envelope to create a sequence of spaces that break the traditional layouts of exhibit halls.

image © hao chen

with two almost disparate halves, the architects sought out a solution to cohesively merge the east and west zones. the solution remained in the circulation, which often times results in a conceptual and aesthetic departure from the rest of the design. for the fab-union space, circulation was treated as an integral and structural component in the building, situated at the center perfectly bisecting the floor plan. the board-formed concrete that supports the timber steps also distributes the gravitational forces of each level, transforming into a parametrically curving column-like feature that becomes a centerpiece design element. 

the stairs reveal the difference in level heights
image © shengliang su

orthogonal rooms distort into gentle sinuous walls that transition from one level to the other. natural light flooding in from various skylights and full-height glass walls reveals the intricate textures in the cast-in-place structure and defines the variety of surfaces and edges constantly present throughout the design. shadows smoothly transition into light and visa-versa, at times abruptly cut to an end by a hard edge. the combination of levels allows for the flexibility and quality of space that is necessary for both administrative and public exhibition uses. 

image © hao chen

the stairs integrate as part of a structure and not a separate component to the design
image © hao chen

image © hao chen

image © shengliang su

using concrete as a backdrop, every space exhibits a range in light qualities
image © shengliang su

the parametric nature of the stairwell provides the necessary structural support and opens enough to maintain a visual connection between floors
image © hao chen

the timber stairs continues the wooden floors, inhabiting the irregular voids left from the curving structure
image © shengliang su

the exterior remains understated, exhibiting the separation of east and west and the simple materials used
image © hao chen

the view from the street provides glimpses into the gallery spaces
image © hao chen

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project info:

location: building d, longtengdadao ,xuhui district, shanghai
area: 368 sqm
design/completion: 2015/2015
construction time:2015.06/2015.09
architect: philip f. yuan / archi-union architects
design team: alex han, xiangping kong ,xuwei wang
structural engineer: zhun zhang
lighting consultant: guojian hu, linhua yang
facade consultant: shanghai dimon curtain wall engineering co., ltd
photographers: hao chen, shengliang su

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The post archi-union bends concrete stairwell in fab union space appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

in shanghai, china, archi-union architects has designed an exhibition space for a local art organization that features a distinctive brick façade. the building, which hosts various events and workshops took just five months to complete, thanks in part to a robotic masonry fabrication technique. the renovation project replaces a previously existing building, retaining and strengthening its exterior walls in order to maximize exhibition space.

the building features a distinctive brick façade
image by shengliang su (also main image)

completed for ‘chi she’, an artistic group founded by zhang peili and geng jiangyi, archi-union’s scheme involved replacing the roof with a lightweight timber canopy. part of the roof has been elevated to both increase gallery space and allow for external views of the sky. as the complex brick façade could not be achieved with conventional methods, the design team utilized robotic fabrication techniques to convey the vitality of both the exhibition space and the wider neighborhood.

robotic masonry techniques were used in the project’s construction
image by shengliang su

the exterior walls feature grey green bricks recycled from the previous structure, which have been reconstructed with a robotic mechanical arm to generates the undulating surface. the robot’s control and precise positioning enables the ancient brick material to meet the demands of the 21st century, while establishing connections between humans, machines, and material matter.

the scheme was completed for a local artistic group
image by shengliang su

part of the roof has been elevated to increase gallery space
image by shengliang su

the previous roof has been replaced with a lightweight timber canopy
image by shengliang su

the façade design conveys the vitality of the exhibition space
image by shengliang su

the walls feature grey green bricks recycled from the previous structure
image by shengliang su

an aerial view of the shanghai exhibition space
image by bian lin

the building hosts various artistic events and workshops
image by bian lin

a robotic mechanical arm was used to generate the undulating surface
image by yuchen hu

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project info:

name: chi she
design company: archi-union architects
fabrication company: fab-union intelligent engineering co. ltd.
location: building d, no.2555 longtengdadao, xuhui district, shanghai, china
area: 200 sqm
design: february 2016 – march 2016
completion: april 2016 – september 2016
architect: philip f. yuan / archi-union architects

design team:
architect: alex han, xiangping kong, tianrui zhu, qinrong liu
structural engineer: rui wang, junchao shen, xiaofeng zhang, jin wang
interior designer: xuwei wang, xiaoming chen
construction equipment: yong liu, changying jiang, xi li

fabrication team: philip f. yuan, yuchen hu, liming zhang, wen zhang
photography: shengliang su, bian lin, yuchen hu

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The post archi-union employs robotic fabrication techniques for shanghai gallery façade appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.