JANIS HO 2015-16  YEAR 2

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Negotiating Skins: An Osmotic Architecture

A teabag man slowly submerges into water, held in balance by invisible forces of magnetism. The water rises; the tea dissolves; the magnet wins. Translating Japan’s 24hrs culture to London, an osmotic architecture teases its visitors to remain within this building – a hybrid nightclub, convenience store and capsule hotel, through its engaging surfaces and ambiguous spaces. The layered skins of the building explore the mediation of light and sound and seduce visitors to transit between programs by slipping through small openings and slits. Going through the toilet of a small local café, the visitor enters a secret passage carved into the canal. The fluidity of water surrounding the passage adds to the suspense as the visitor becomes curious of the nightclub awaiting at the end of this journey.
At the heart of the building, the nightclub is layered with multiple materials. Fabric peels off wooden panelled walls creating areas of intimacy between the visitor and the architecture. Capsules facing the canal constitute most of the exterior with the buildings envelope embracing its form. The convenience store finds its place between these two programs reducing sound travel towards the residential units. At some points, the continuous surface thins to a soft wall which hints the presence of a person on the other side. Without being in direct contact, negotiations are implicitly made between programs, people and architecture.

Tutors: Colin Herperger, Thomas Pearce