Morph: A Modern Space with Traditional Chinese Elements

Designers Dongzi Yang and Qianyi Lin Create a Transformative Social Hub in Shenzhen

Located in the tranquil Nanshan District, Morph is a mixed-use space with a total construction area of 1,000 sqm. The project's name, which means transformation and evolution in Chinese, aptly describes its purpose: to introduce new vitality to the city. The design team's idea was to realize collisions within the space through a diversified material palette, contrasting interior scenes, and division of multiple functional areas.

The color palette of Morph is inspired by the Forbidden City, featuring highly saturated red, blue, black, yellow, and gold hues. These colors are consistent with Wu Xing, also known as the Five Elements of Chinese philosophy, which includes metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The designers combined these traditional Chinese colors with modern materials, creating a unique aesthetic that reflects the city's evolution.

The key design intervention of the project is the creation of a mezzanine, which adds a new dimension to the space. Another bold intervention is the insertion of a slightly oblique and curved double-height structure into the geometric space. This structure links, partitions, and defines the space, highlighting its identity and increasing brightness.

Morph is not just a bar but also an event venue and a transformable space, designed to facilitate "interaction between human and city" in a cultural context. Functional areas are set around a 7-meter-high activity space at the center, which can accommodate 100 people and is equipped with theatre acoustics and spatial installations that can be replaced irregularly. This adaptability makes it suitable for various types of activities and provides a fantastic place for local people to socialize.

The project was not without its challenges. The greatest one was how to incorporate their thinking into the spatial design while combining and transforming traditional Chinese elements with modern designs. Through this project, the designers explored and worked out a solution to tackle the oblivion and disappearing of traditional Chinese materials. They innovated the way of using these materials and redefined them in modern designs, breaking through the limits of traditional materials utilization and realizing "re-design with old material".

Morph is a testament to the innovative use of space and materials, and its success has not gone unnoticed. The project was awarded Silver in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2020, a prestigious accolade given to designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. This award is a testament to the designers' ability to create a space that not only serves a functional purpose but also tells a story of the city's evolution.