APARTMENT IN SHENZHEN
Residential
2014

AXIAL SYMPHONY

When we wake up in the morning, we put on our clothes in front of the mirror.
When women put on their makeup, they draw on symmetrical eyebrows and eyeliners.
When men put their shirts on, they line their buttons up symmetrically.

Asymmetrical eyebrows, eyeliners, and buttons do not affect their functions. Still, there’s something that feels off if they are not aligned. We have a compulsion to have them aligned to maintain a sense of security and order.

We need balance in our lives, and one of the most essential things in life is maintaining a sense of balance in our living spaces.

In the past, our ancestors could use symmetry in architecture to express their pursuit of rationality, harmony, and even proportions. In the present, we have too many practical and spatial concerns that limit us from building the perfectly ordered building – such as our need to maximise the use of land.

Our project is to design a living space for a couple in China. It is a symphony composed of axes. To create a harmonious space, we are intentional with our spatial and visual arrangements, as well as being careful with our choice of materials. Dynamic equilibrium is achieved and facilitates a sense of mental balance. It’s similar to the principle of Fengshui, in which arranging functional zones in a living space could affect the users’ mental and spiritual states.

The central axis of the ceiling-to-floor window aligns with the spine like the central axis of the living room, which spans from the back to the end of the sky garden.

As you sit on the sofa and look into the well-design sky garden and landscape sculpture, you feel balanced and secured.

The dining room’s long table rests on the central axis of the room, with the central axis of its shorter side facing one of the windows.

The central axis of the bathroom’s washing basin rests on the central axis of the area’s entrance.
As you walked into the bathroom and saw your reflection on the mirror, you meditate on your day.

The toilet is installed on the central axis leading to the window it faces.
As you sit on the toilet seat and look into the clouds on the sky outside of the window, you ponder upon the wonders of nature.

Designers should not blindly follow standards that are accepted and obeyed by society. Even though designers need to adhere to the rules of gravity, of science, of reality, design is an industry where people should be encouraged to challenge boxes of normality.

Innovators loathe accepted norms. They are determined to persevere and work towards their own sets of new standards.

The details