Billboard Architecture

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‘Architecture as a representation to express one’s identity...’

Architecture has long been a tool to express one’s identity, no matter is for the city, or individual building. In China, it is common to see the clients and developers designing super tall towers in order to gain public recognition as a result of the ‘brandscape’. But what value they are actually expressing behind those design?

Instead of pursue of pure aesthetic, how can we really make use of architecture to express our philosophy, our position and identity, which is the value of life but not only merely artificial? Value of luxury should not be only about wealth, but also the richness of life and the living quality.

‘Luxury is no longer only based on the objective recognition... We should all experience our own value of luxury.’

Framing Methodology

To advocate the true value behind luxury, which is more on those intangible elements, a billboard architecture is proposed as the methodology for public to understand one’s value we wish to espouse. And those vertical courtyard, which acts as the ‘billboard’, would frame both communal zone and individual units.

‘Courtyards are customized for different family structures.’

For the identity of individual units, each courtyard was chosen as the framed space as it has long been the core family gathering space in Chinese architecture, which can reflect the family value the most. For different family interaction patterns, their lifestyles are different. This resulted in different types of courtyard, with various levels of stability and openness. Creating a continuous courtyard connecting all stories within the unit, residents can define the connections of their own courtyards.

‘Construction phases of communal zone begin with the preset circulation system and adaptive skeleton.’

1st YEAR
Only circulation and structure is fixed in the design, of which those circulation is to facilitate different spatial quality in respective communal zone.

2nd YEAR
After settlements, the owners’ corporation will decide what amenities they want to share in the communal zone. And the large sports space would be arranged

5th YEAR
People become more health conscious. Taking leadership in the ‘good’ living style, it is predicted that the owners’ corporation would construct more sports facilities in skeleton.