Project: Xingtai Rui Sales Center
Architects: YI-CREAT SPACE
Location: Hebei, Xingtai, China
Area: 12,916 sf
Year: 2020
Photographs by: One Thousand Degrees Visual
Beyond the Taihang Mountains to the east and the Grand Canal to the west, the city of Xingtai has a history spanning nearly 3000 years. Today, serving as the northern gateway to the Central Plains urban cluster, when one gazes west from the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, the skyline of Xingtai New District, adorned with a stunning array of skyscrapers, has become a new urban landmark. Amid the glimmering façades, high-tech enterprises and industrial clusters flourish, while the future urban spirit and imagination are instilled by designers into the realm of new possibilities for living.
In just one month, Recollect Space accomplished the architectural transformation of the Xingtai Rui Sales Center, encapsulating the vastness of the cosmos within a limited, elongated space. The designers are forging the future of life and the urban spirit in a completely novel way, achieving the highest quality with the least investment and creating spaces that stand the test of time.
The Xingtai Rui project involved the transformation of a building that was previously utilized as a kindergarten space. The building’s elongated structure and limited ceiling height posed numerous challenges for meeting the requirements of the new architectural vision. The designer, Tao Yi, drew inspiration from the building’s inherent characteristics, gradually evolving the design by creating new spaces within the existing architectural framework. This approach involved direct manipulation of the space and architecture, forging a fresh spatial experience within the context of the building’s unique features.
After excavating the foundation by 150cm, the challenge of building height was effectively addressed, prompting a reevaluation of the landscape’s elevation. Following a series of rigorous structural evaluations, the interior entrance was relocated to the southwest corner of the building. Upon entering, the space gradually unfolds, progressing layer by layer from the expansive double-height area towards the depths.
By relocating the staircases and utility conduits, the interior circulation was given a broader, more liberated pathway. This transition from the abstract to the tangible, from the spacious to the intricate, and from the present to the future ensures that the space remains timeless in terms of both practicality and aesthetics.
The design interweaves the unpredictable future into a limited space, crafting a romantic reverie about the universe and boundless possibilities. Simultaneously, the designer has, within the constraints of cost control, achieved high-quality spatial outcomes for the client. Simple materials are endowed with a sense of the future and practical meaning through structural interpretation and artistic expression, thus creating exceptional spatial value.
The ceiling, a massive projection screen crafted from black geometric mirrored stainless steel panels, emanates a pristine ambiance throughout the grand lobby area. Within the hemispherical installation “Imprint of Light,” warm family scenes come to life against the backdrop of the cosmos. Pure forms, meticulously sequenced, undergo cutting, twisting, and dynamic interweaving, resembling mountains, rivers, and a city, symbolizing the evolution and nurturing of its inhabitants through the vicissitudes of time.
Moving inward from the reception area, a mysterious and narrow corridor pathway is created between the double-screen audiovisual room’s exterior facade and the building facade. The sharp angles and intersections between materials are sharp and dynamic, offering precise guidance without any redundancy. This corridor leads to the spacious and well-lit sand table area, where numerous white blocks hang down from the ceiling, resembling a rapidly evolving futuristic city encapsulating the ground-level sand table beneath a massive screen. This arrangement conveys distant salutations from the future of the universe to the contemporary urban setting.
The grand and expressive future space gradually quiets down upon entering the negotiation area. Glass facades usher in the cityscape and copious natural light, while the architectural elements refine their scale, paying meticulous attention to details. Warmth is infused into the environment through the use of wooden materials. Lighting and structural elements meld seamlessly, creating a harmonious interplay of solidity and fluidity. It appears as though all the curved structures can unfurl at any moment, and people can pass through the luminous walls, stepping into the future.
Through its redesigned architecture, Xingtai Rui has realized significant commercial value for its owner by introducing a profound sense of differentiation. The concept embraced by the designer Tao Yi is to achieve “Life relive” through cost-effective means, creating a space that stands out with differentiation, coherence, and multiplicity of value.
The interplay of natural light and artificial lighting, like the collaboration between artificial intelligence and nature, creates a dynamic balance of soft intelligence, where space accommodates all. Spherical installations inspired by planetary concepts are scattered throughout the space, becoming a constant dreamy backdrop to urban life. The children’s area, on the other hand, condenses the cosmic landscape, appearing innocent yet breaking free from conventions.
Resilient and vigorous resin materials are formally overlapped, forming a semi-circular enclosure. This design element, situated on the second floor, complements the “Imprint of Light.” The more vibrant blue resembles the foam dancing on the sea of space, evoking vitality and imagination. Water, light, the cosmos, and the people who enter create a flowing river, linking the past, present, and future together infinitely. Space serves as the riverbed of time, bearing witness to all that flows through it.
Through the redesign, Xingtai Rui has achieved substantial commercial value for its owner by introducing a high degree of distinctiveness. The philosophy embraced by the designer, Tao Yi, is to create a differentiated, cohesive, and multi-valued space at a relatively low cost.
Xingtai Rui serves as a blueprint for urban renewal, with a focus on creating a technological residential landmark that revolves around a livable ecosystem. It aims to drive interest in the area, propelling it towards the concept of a smart and ecological community. In the midst of this rich and evolving urban renewal, design is deeply intertwined with the city. Throughout this process, designers and every individual involved must cultivate a deeper understanding, greater imagination, and a spirit of practicality towards urban life. Through this, urban renewal can remain vital and relevant.
-Project description and images provided by YI-CREAT SPACE
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