Fluid and Form: A Harmonious Blend of Oriental Art and Modern Design

George PC Kao's Award-Winning Residence Design Inspired by Chinese Landscape Painting

The inspiration for 'Fluid and Form' came from the spatial ambition of the design team. They sought to evoke the ambiance of spirit found in oriental landscape painting, a stark contrast to the rational realism portrayed in western painting. The design team used strokes of repetitive symbolism often featured in Chinese landscape painting, complemented by cloud and spatial layers, to create a balanced proportion left for the imagination of beholders.

The site for this project is a single-layer residence on the ground floor with natural lighting and a vista backyard. The design team anchored on framed oriental natural landscape to evoke the natural motif of Chinese mountain cloud and Hokkaido snowfield. The theme of fluidity emerges as the spatial linkage throughout the interior, creating an epitome of the minimalist and flowing spatial visuals of post-modernism while evoking the natural ambiance and motif of oriental landscape.

As Fluidity emerges as the styling theme of the overall design, large volume of dyed genuine timber posts, along with cascading and aligned spatial linkage of the ceiling of public domain links up different functional spaces articulated with natural and beautiful organic and flowing styling. Through the natural masonry materials on large wall surface and floor, it aids the visual extension of natural vista flowing into the interior, creating a most relaxing natural ambiance.

In terms of functional layout, the design satisfies the living functionality and entertaining needs with large sliding door demarcating the public and private domains while maintaining spatial continuity and openness. Apart from affording a complete and open area usage and vista for the public domain, it features circulation design for any disabled users so the independent functional spaces accommodate the social function while preserving privacy for the private domains.

The design team faced challenges in the construction process. The public domains adopt large amount of genuine timber grille as the formwork for the flowing ceiling, the irregular form does require consideration for the movement of junctional joint material due to temperature changes, which dictated the subsequent time-consuming detailing and paintwork. The external landscaping planning and construction were affected by the weather. Furthermore, how to minimize the effect of construction on the neighbors were indeed challenging.

'Fluid and Form' is a testament to the design team's ability to blend art, architecture, and innovation. The design team, led by George PC Kao, successfully created a residence that is not only functional but also a work of art that evokes the natural grandeur and ambiance in Chinese landscape paintings. This design, which was awarded Silver in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2020, is a remarkable example of the creative and technical excellence in the field of design.