Amblem Home Furnishing: A Unique Blend of Constructivism and Ancient Chinese Gardens

Wei Zhou's Award-Winning Design Transforms a Monotonous Factory Building into a Rich Spatial Experience

Wei Zhou drew inspiration from a line in a constructivist painting by Russian structuralist EL.Lissitzky, named "Proun". The seemingly irrational style of this rational constructivist painting was incorporated into the project plane, creating a fascinating interplay between rationality and irrationality. Zhou also integrated elements of ancient Chinese gardens, allowing visitors to experience different and changing spatial effects as they move along the veranda on both sides.

The project, located in the economic development zone of Linping District, Hangzhou, serves as a marketing building with office and reception functions. Amidst the densely packed and monotonous factory buildings, Zhou and the owner decided to create an "inner garden", seeking the landscape inward. This approach reflects the Taoist thought of "small hidden in the wild, big hidden in the city", suggesting that beauty and leisure can be found even in the busiest of places.

The unique properties of the design lie in its incorporation of constructivism into space. The collision between rationality and irrationality creates a rich and confusing spatial effect. Interesting geometric gardens make the space rigorous, symmetrical, and focused on perspective, imbuing it with a rationalistic sense of ritual and worship. Volume stairs with rich space and functions interweave and run through each other in the space, opening up to produce all kinds of wonderful spatial effects.

The realization of this design was achieved in a 60-meter-deep factory building. To meet various office functions and create an internally rich space, all office spaces that needed lighting were combined and discharged along the wall. The spare space in the middle was designed as a flexible public activity place. The problem of poor lighting in the middle was solved by opening an elliptical sky window.

The main challenge of this project was to create an interesting space experience in the monotonous surrounding environment. As offices and exhibition halls, great attention was paid to people's feelings in them. The blocks of this work are interrelated and interwoven, and giving people a space with rich space but clear moving lines was one of the challenges.

In conclusion, Wei Zhou's Amblem Home Furnishing Exhibition Hall is a testament to the power of design to transform spaces and create engaging experiences. The blend of constructivism and ancient Chinese garden elements, coupled with the innovative use of space and light, has resulted in a design that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and engaging. It is no surprise that this design was awarded the Silver A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2023.