Daily mental relief
Award
First Prize Winner of The Taipei Institutes of Architects Thesis Competition 2017
Faculty’s Choice - Honorable Mention Award for Design Excellence in Architecture 2017
Duration
Sep 2016 - Jun 2017 (10 mo)
Advisor
Yoshawn Shieh
Category
Office Tower | Bachelor’s thesis
Location
Tokyo, Japan
Keywords
Office, Japan, Office worker, Relief, Mental space, Mental shelter, Routine, Ritual
Context
Day in day out, I get back home, veg on my armchair, and question myself.
“Why am I so fed up?“
“What am I working so hard for?“
Drifting with the tide, being restless, and pouring oneself even empty inside, how do modern people find relief?
It’s a stable world with strict rules.
Capitalism evaluated people by the price system. Under notions of efficiency and utility, individuals have homogenized. People become a cog in the machine of society, and ultimately, lose their souls.
It’s a stable but stifled world.
Issue: How could architecture create mental shelters for modern people?
Statement: Co-existence
We have to consider society and people at the same time.
The symbiosis relationship between people and society is irresistible. Therefore, we should reach reconciliation between them, instead of changing either.
Take the drawing as an example. The concept is “balance”, the background black is “society”, and the gloss black is “people“. While looking at the drawing, the concept will only be preserved, if we consider the background and the gloss black as one. In other words, we will lose the concept, if we draw a clear boundary between them.
Strategy: Create ritualized space in daily routine
Self-projection: Capture the sense of relief
Story: My life and imagination as an office worker at Tokyo
Site context: Daily life around Tokyo central district
Massing: A sun-clock-liked patio creates ritualized moments everyday
Program: Flexibility and dynamicity
Curtain wall system: Shadows create unique spatial narratives for each program
Inner stairs
Reception transition
Reception lobby
Office pantry
Subway entry
Open terrace
Phone booth wall
Waiting area
