渋い [SHI-BUI]
Diploma in Architecture, Singapore Polytechnic | 2016 (Final Year Project)
渋い SHIBUI [SI-BUI] is used by the Japanese to describe elements that are of a modest and subdued quality that is achieved through subtle details. In the pursuit to achieve such a quality, the economy of form, line and effort come together to produce an element of timeless tranquillity and achieve a balance between simplicity and complexity. The balance of complexity and simplicity ensures that one does not tire of the element but instead constantly find new meaning and an enriched quality that causes its aesthetic growth as time passes.
The project site is located along Orchard Road, which has come to be known as a central commercialised retail hub that houses numerous internationally recognised branded goods. As a contrast to Orchard Road’s consumerist-driven architecture, the form of the building was made to be a simple rectangular box that would aim to achieve a sense of 渋いSHIBUI which would give it more meaning and purpose that is beyond the ideals of consumerism. The vision was also to allow the artisans being housed in the building to shape its identity rather than its ostentatious façade. As such, the ideas of having the external façade mask the interior spaces was conceived, to give it an unassuming appearance, but have a vibrant interior atmosphere.
In order to achieve this quality, the façade was made to look like a transparent shell, where views into the building would be limited. The use of timber louvres was adopted to achieve this and also as a contrast to the cooler tones of materials that are used along Orchard Road. To attain the vibrant interior atmosphere, the artisans are determined as the main focal point of the building through the suspended box that is made to be easily visible once one enters. A play of different floor plates is also seen in the more public spaces, while the private spaces are made to be more regularly shaped. The entrance into the building and main bulk of public spaces are also washed with light while lighting qualities grow dimmer as one moves further into the building.