An online catalog of the painting series of WAI directors Cruz Garcia and Nathalie Frankowski is now online. Go to Garcia Frankowski.
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WAI Architecture Think Tank
Category Archives: Beijing
WAI at the Beijing Design Week
Presentation by WAI co-founders Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia
As part of the Manifesto Series organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), TEXTENT Group and Dutch Design, Fashion and Architecture WAI participated on a roundtable discussion moderated by Aric Chen (Creative Director of the Beijing Design Week).
Held at the CCD Pavilion designed by Ai Wei Wei the presentations and following discussion included WAI co-founders Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia, photographer Ruben Lundgren (co-founder WassinkLundgren), graphic designer Shoupin Zhang (founder MAX Office), and graphic designer Celine Lamee (LAVA Design).
As diverse as the projects in each of the presentations were the discussion concentrated on the ambitions, capacities and limitations of architecture, graphic design, and photography.
Simultaneously, WAI’s project the Housetelier is being exhibited at the Dashila Factory Area during the Beijing Design Week.
Discussion moderated by Aric Chen , included Nathalie Frankowski , Cruz Garcia , Celine Lamee , Shoupin Zhang, and Ruben Lundgren
Presentations at CCD Pavillion in Caochangdi moderated by Aric Chen (second from the left), Shoupin Zhang (left),
Nathalie Frankowski (second from the right), and Cruz Garcia
Presentation by WAI co-founders Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia
Presentation by WAI co-founders Nathalie Frankowski and Cruz Garcia
Housetelier
Housetelier view from the street at night: urban lantern
For the Beijing Design Week WAI responded to an invitation to rethink the Dashila District through specific architectural interventions that could renovate the area.
The result is the Housetelier, which reuses the courtyard typology of the Chinese hutong and converts it into a mixture of atelier, house, gallery and office.
Courtyard view: atelier, gallery and office share a bath of natural light
Catalyst
Can architecture be an urban catalyst? How to regenerate an urban zone with interventions of specific forms of architecture?
By designing a space based on the three points of work, exhibit and live, the Housetelier creates the ideal conditions to attract creative enterprises that could enhance the urban context in the Dashila District both by contributing to its micro economy and by fomenting cultural and intellectual exchange through activities and events.
Siteplan Dashila
Program
Conceived as an architectural prototype for urban re-development, the Housetelier integrates office space, gallery space, and living space in a seamless architectural strategy. By creating spaces that are visually related to a central courtyard, but that could also be accessed independently, the Housetelier could be used by up to three different tenants simultaneously.
The first level of the building situates at each of the four sides of the courtyard an atelier, service space (kitchen, storage, and restrooms), office space, and gallery space in a sequence of spaces that relate visually and spatially.
The Second Level of the building includes a residential apartment whose main spaces are arranged around the central courtyard.
View from the street at day: abstract box
Lantern
Treated with a translucent polycarbonate main façade, the Housetelier looks radically neutral during the day, while it turns into a kaleidoscopic lantern during the night, inviting those who wander around to discover the contents of the building.
Plan Level 1
Plan Level 2
Sections
WAI Live Discussion at Caochangdi Art Community
Image by CCD
WAI will take part of a roundtable discussion “City as Site” on Friday October 5, the closing day of the Manifesto Series organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and supported by the Dutch Design Fashion Architecture, Beijing Design Week, and Caochangdi Community.
Moderated by Aric Chen (Creative Director Beijing Design Week) the discussion will include as its participants Jeremi Descamps (Urbanism, Sinapolis, France), Neville Mars (Architecture, MARS Architects, Netherlands), Noortje Boer and Celine Lamee (Graphic Desing, LAVA, Netherlands), Shoupin Zhang (Graphic Design, Max Office, China) and Ruben Lundgren (Photography,WassinkLundgren, Netherlands).
For more information stay logged on to WAI.
Time: October 5, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.
Venue: Caochangdi, collaboration with CCD Table Talk Program.
Speakers:
Jeremi Descamps (Urbanism, Sinapolis, France)
WAI Architecture Think Tank (Architecture, China)
Neville Mars (Architecture, MARS Architects, Netherlands)
Noortje Boer and Celine Lamee (Graphic Desing, LAVA, Netherlands)
Shoupin Zhang (Graphic Design, Max Office, China)
Ruben Lundgren (Photography, WassinkLundgren, Netherlands)
WAI Goes Live Across China
WAI Live Webcast
WAI Architecture Think Tank presented and discussed its projects on a live webcast with more than 500 online users across China. The project that brought together students and professionals from all corners of the country was moderated from Beijing by www.iarch.cn and questions sent through the net were addressed after the presentation.
To Watch the video of the presentation go here or go to iarch.cn .
Live Discussion Panel
WAI Goes Live from Beijing!
Saturday September 8 at 7:00pm (Beijing Time) WAI will be offering a live presentation and a discussion in Beijing that will be broadcasted across China. Under the topic Hardcorism, WAI will be dissecting the WAIzine, its manifestoes and other projects.
