Project Overview

Once in a blue moon is a metaphor of this project; a moon that does not appear in regular calendar. its mysterious transparency and changeability describe the unique concept and bring out the imaginative space of the project. Three concrete blocks floating in the space represent the sense of mystery of the moon. Four circular wooden grill screens forms tow layer of sinusoid curves that can be freely rearrange represent the periodic and changeability of the moon.

Project Commissioner

Blue Moon Institute

Project Creator

Chih-Chieh Liu

Project Brief

Unlike the learning environment of conventional English institutions, this project runs through the entire design with smooth and open circulation planning and transparent visual scale. Facing the challenge to hold several combinations of study groups varies from 2 to 20 students; the balance, interaction, and creativity between the public and private spaces is the focus in the project. The design team suspended all classroom compartments and fixed furniture with tempered glass, giving an illusion of three floating concrete blocks in the space, making it transparently visible. The grille screens in the public area are designed to be four quarter circle units. They can be organically rearranged to fit different study group size requirements. The curvatures of the screen formed two layer of sine curve graph’s curve amplitude. The interaction between the sinusoidal curves and circle represent moon's changeable but periodic features, allowing the grille to maintain its beauty and rhythm of the space no matter how it is arranged or reorganized.

Project Innovation/Need

The unique feature of this project is all fix compartment and furniture in the space are suspended by tempered glass, and the design of floating cement makes the whole space transparently visible. The screens in public areas undergo an organic arrangement, which could be freely rearrange and configured according to the needs. The façade of the screen was derived from sinusoidal curves, symbolizing the periodicity of the moon, in the same time maintaining the rhythm of the space. These two concept make the designed space differ from all other language institute, not only it achieve high flexibility of different study group sizes and needs, it also excel owner’s expectation of the space.

Design Challenge

Facing the client’s desire to plan a classroom meeting the requirements of 2 to 20 students in a limited space, the designer must arrange the suitable layout for this kind of environment to meet the functionality of different learning group. In addition, deciding the size of classroom walls is also challenging during the production. The designer uses the mathematical formula to accurately calculate the curve using sine graph, so that no matter the louver is reorganized of decomposed, it can maintain the beauty of the space.

Sustainability

In the design, not only all woodwork use environmental friendly material, massive use of metal, glass with transparent or less saturating colors makes the design flow as the background of the space, emphasizing the interactions between people. In addition, the used of sinusoid grilled screens work as organic units, which can be freely rearranged to meet differ group sizes needed, diminish the use of fix fixture, and increase reusability. Furthermore, massive use of transparent glasses decrease lighting needs and save energy consumption.