Project Overview

Floating is the main theme of the design, reflecting the environment through the glass body to realize the interaction between the building and the environment.

The steel was used to support the main body of the building, and the suspended staircase extended upward to enhance the visual strength, presenting a sleek, suspended and light appearance of the building. Combining the recycled materials of the old building, the designer used transparent light boxes and cold metal materials to create a penetrating space, presenting a modern space full of humanity.

Organisation

BT Space Design

Team

Chief Designer: Chia Chen Chang
Decoration Director: Hsing Chun Lin

Project Brief

This project is located in Beitou District in the northern Taiwan and was the result of the reflection and evolution of the local culture.

Inspired by floating, the aim was to create an architectural appearance that blended with the environment and interacted with it. The light steel frame and glass wall formed the exterior of the building, and the weight of the building was supported by the upward extended staircase. The transparent appearance of the glass wall suspended the building body in the air, presenting a smooth architectural shape.

By reflecting the environment through the large glass body, the interaction between the building and the environment was realized, and the see-through design allowed the building to be integrated with the streetscape. The designer used the embossed frosted glass at the reception space showing the imagery of early farming time, expressing the cultural and design connotations of the space. The transparent light box with built in the iron window grilles of the old building was used to create a penetrating interior space.

The design is a combination of humanity, history and environment to create a modern commercial space.

Project Innovation/Need

Beitou district has a history of Japanese culture where this project is located in, and the hot spring culture was brought into this area during the Japanese colonized period. Therefore, in the configuration of the space, the designer placed grass futons, a symbolic meaning of the Japanese era, so that the history existed in the modern design and form a contrast, bringing a visual impact. The designer retained the elements of the old building and regenerated and utilized them as the screens of the meeting area. The designer covered the old iron window grilles with glass and installed the lighting function in it, reflecting its beautiful patterns, creating a sense of rhythm through light and shadow, and serving as a partition between meeting spaces. This became the main focus of the room.

Design Challenge

As there were other buildings next to it, the space underneath the elevated building could space up the pedestrian road, while providing the main space on the upper floor to be separated from the street and allowing the transparent space to remain private. At this height, people could enjoy the view of the forest park and the mountains. The designer used the metallic ironwork with mineral paint to give the interior space a textured and broader appearance, while the exterior was finished with tempered glass. The design aims to be people-oriented and combined with history and the environment, while constructing a space and building without losing commercial value and highlighting its humanistic meaning.

Sustainability

The designer retained the elements of the old building and regenerated and utilized them as the screens of the meeting area. The designer covered the old iron window grilles with glass and installed the lighting function in it, reflecting its beautiful patterns, creating a sense of rhythm through light and shadow, and serving as a partition between meeting spaces. This became the main focus of the room. And used the old window grilles removed from the original building for the walls of the restrooms, and decorated the corner of the space with straw bundles and twine bundles, presenting the warmth of history and culture in addition to the modern design when people enter the space.