curves Archives

SCUT proposes a revived plan for Guangzhou’s haixin bridge

In the heart of Guangzhou’s CBD, the Haixin Bridge marks the first pedestrian landscape bridge across the Pearl River. Proposed by the Architectural Design & Research Institute of South China University of Technology (SCUT), it will stretch from Ersha Island Art Park in the north to Guangzhou Tower in the south to strategically connect key points in the cityscape. As an extension of the city’s public realm, the bridge serves as a vibrant and engaging social space, imbued with a sense of place and cultural identity that is essential to the region’s architectural heritage. Its curved shape will integrate with existing pedestrian systems, addressing the need for connectivity between the metropolis split between the two sides of the river while paying attention to the spatial order of the central axis. With an open posture, the bridge will offer panoramic views of the Pearl River’s core area.

all images courtesy of SCUT

a bustling urban space mirroring cultural motifs

Deeply rooted in regional cultural identity, SCUT’s design draws inspiration from the water sleeve and ancient Qin, cultural motifs distinctive to the Lingnan region. The landscape design of the bridge deck mirrors the local water flower market, resulting in a cohesive and integrated design that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The introduction of flower boats creates a physical separation between the eastern and western sides of the bridge deck, enhancing functionality and providing additional space for pedestrians while creating a distinctly dynamic urban space.

The segmented bridge deck features a varied height profile, incorporating flower ponds, observation decks, and two types of pedestrian walkways for upper and lower levels. This use of space caters to the diverse needs of pedestrians for passage and sightseeing, enhancing the city’s vitality with distinct spatial textures. Its sloping connection to pedestrian walkways on both sides ensures an uninterrupted urban public experience, with additional user-friendly features like warm wooden handrails, glare-free lighting, rounded corners to prevent collisions, and mist cooling systems for comfort and accessible use.

project info:

name: Guangzhou Haixin Bridge
architecture: Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT Co., Ltd.

location: Guangzhou, China

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

Reference

Interior Design

JJ16 apartment in Madrid features curves and colour blocking

By Zarkon Group,13/07/2023

Madrid studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil has completed a family home that makes the most of every inch, with details including a yellow storage wall, a corridor kitchen and a hidden closet.

JJ16 is a three-bedroom apartment in Madrid’s Salamanca district, but until recently it had been used as an office.

Lucas y Hernández-Gil, a specialist in interior architecture, converted the property back into a residence for a family that includes a mother, three teenage children and their dog.

The challenge was not only to make it feel like a home again but also to create space for everyone’s personality within the 165 square-metre footprint.

The designers achieved this by combining space-saving strategies with statement details, providing both functionality and character.

“Everyone had a clear idea of what they needed, which translated directly into the spaces,” said studio founders Cristina Domínguez Lucas and Fernando Hernández-Gil Ruano.

“Far from generating a conflict, different colours and materials give the house a richness, a harmonic heterogeneity,” they told Dezeen.

Pink, grey and chrome Kitchen in JJ16 apartment by Lucas y Hernández-Gil — The room is defined by shades of soft pink and grey

Optimising JJ16’s layout was crucial but difficult given the irregularity of the floor plan.

Lucas y Hernández-Gil’s strategy was to make every space, including the corridors, as useful as possible.

Utility area in corridor of JJ16 apartment by Lucas y Hernández-Gil — The utility area also occupies a corridor space

The kitchen now occupies a connecting space between the entrance lobby and the living room, freeing up space at the front of the apartment for a spacious main bedroom.

Meanwhile, the corridor leading to the main bathroom and the third bedroom incorporates a mini library and a utility area.

“The main challenge was the deep layout and long corridor,” said the architects.

“We provided circulation with content by creating spaces within it. This turned out to be one of the best design decisions of the project.”

Bedroom with curved wall in JJ16 apartment by Lucas y Hernández-Gil — A curved wall frames the main bedroom

Curved partitions create variety within JJ16’s layout. The largest of these separates the living room from the main bedroom, but other curves can be found in the second bedroom and a shower room.

Many spaces have their own colours, which contrast with the bright white tones that otherwise dominate the interior.

Bedroom with orange walk-in closet in JJ16 apartment by Lucas y Hernández-Gil — The third bedroom is a twin room with a hidden walk-in closet

The bright yellow bookshelf wall is the most striking, while the adjacent kitchen offers a two-tone effect with shades of soft pink and grey, and matt chrome finishes.

Bedrooms have a minimal feel, but they boast colourful dressing rooms and en-suites. Bright orange was chosen for the hidden walk-in closet, located in the twin third bedroom, while deep purple adds a luxury feel in the main bedroom.

Bedroom and en-suite with patterned floor tiles — Patterned tiles feature in the bathroom and en-suite areas

Floor surfaces provide more visual interest. Living spaces feature oak parquet, while bathrooms are all finished with patterned cement tiles.

This bold approach to colour and texture is a common feature in the work of Lucas y Hernández-Gil, whose other recent projects include the sunset-inspired Naked and Famous bar and the stylish Casa A12.

Bathroom with orange counter and chequered tiles — The main bathroom also features a curved shower room

“The approach to colour is a constant in our design process,” said Lucas and Hernández-Gil Ruano.

“It is about activating spaces and achieving a warm and joyful domestic atmosphere.”

The photography is by Jose Hevia.

Project credits

Architecture: Lucas y Hernández-Gil
Collaborators: Lucía Balboa, María Domínguez, Sara Urriza

Reference

arches, curves and rounded edges contour parconido bakery cafe in south korea

Architecture

arches, curves and rounded edges contour cafe in south korea

By Zarkon Group,19/04/2023

red bricks shape out a modern bakery cafe by sukchulmok

Design practice sukchulmok constructs ‘parconido’ bakery cafe in northern Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, utilizing subtle contemporary materials and shaping simple rounded forms. The cafe presents a consistent space in which forms, furniture, and lighting are designed to create a unified atmosphere. The project draws from ‘European’ architectural elements applying red brick in combination with stainless steel.

The structure develops in layers ‘stuck one by one’ with columns that surge everywhere and rounded walls wrapping the open layout. Although the walls and columns compose different shapes, they all present a radius of 600 mm. Following this design rule that acts as a reference point throughout the construction, the project generates a sense of unity while still avoiding monotony. The contemporary café is built out of stacked clay bricks with no holes, that are cut off by two-thirds of the thickness and form a coating skin on an iron frame to relieve the load.

all images by hong seokgyu

smooth edges and round shapes generate a sense of expansion

The furniture, manufactured in perfect circles, is appropriately blended into the space in various forms, such as concrete castings, combined wooden textures, and overlapping circular pipes. The fittings highlight the round spaces while travertine limestone, usually suitable for the fountains in squares of Europe, is designed to cover the floor, walls, and ceiling of the rooms. The angles in the indoor space are smoothed out in round shapes blurring the boundaries of each zone and generating an illusion of expansion and weightlessness.

The mixture of the three main materials, red brick, travertine, and wood, adorns the interior space in warm tones. All fittings and fixtures are custom-made and produced to fit the unique rounded design of the café.

stacked clay bricks are cut off by two-thirds of the thickness forming a coating skin on the iron frame

an elongated form of stainless steel shapes up an outdoor table

on the third floor, a terrace can be seen following the extended passageway

a sense of expansion and uniformity is adjusted both vertically and horizontally through curved forms

Reference

Interior Design

Atelier Right Hub replaces corners with curves in cavernous Hangzhou spa

By Zarkon Group,14/06/2021

Chinese studio Atelier Right Hub created a cave-like spa in Hangzhou, China, with a network of interconnected, circular rooms and walls finished in white clay.

Located on the 13th floor of a commercial building by the Qiantang river in downtown Hangzhou, the Soul Realm Spa offers spaces for massage and meditation.

Local studio Atelier Right Hub was invited to create a calming interior within the building’s rectangular, 220-square-metre floorplan.

This was achieved by inserting a sequence of circular treatment rooms with curved ceilings into the centre of the plan.

A blue sofa is located at the waiting area of Soul Realm Spa — A curved blue sofa faces a semi-circular window

“If we observe life carefully, we will find that straight lines are mostly found in man-made objects while natural objects are mostly curved,” the studio told Dezeen.

“Whether it is mountains or rivers and streams, they are curved and full of changes and they have more charm and vitality than straight lines.”

The sofa is sunken into the floor at Soul Realm Spa — The walls are finished in white clay

According to Atelier Right Hub, the circular plan was informed by the shape of traditional Tibetan singing bowls – a type of inverted bell used for meditation.

The walls, ceilings and floors are made from white clay and blend seamlessly together. They have a textured finish, which the studio likens to “walking barefoot on earth”.

“China used to be a country dominated by farming culture,” Atelier Right Hub explained. “Farmers mostly farmed barefoot in the fields and children often played barefoot as well.”

“These memories are both unfamiliar and longed for in modern cities. Only when you feel the earth barefoot will you let go of your defences – this is also a way we hope spa guests could enjoy real relaxation.”

A spa bed is located in the centre of a treatment room at Soul Realm Spa — Private treatment rooms have a circular design

Each massage room features a brass garment hanger and storage tray suspended from the ceiling, where clients can store their clothing and jewellery during treatments.

Curved clay walls also wrap the perimeter of the floor plan to create a curved corridor where the studio has positioned resting areas, a lobby and the foyer.

“The interior space is similar to caves,” said the studio. “The curved ceiling, streamlined walls and the visual axes that revolve around the twists and turns form a fuzzy space-time context that is difficult to synchronize with the outside.”

A glass door leads to a walk-in shower — Showers are fitted within a circular alcove

A series of large, geometric windows punctuate the corridor, including an arc-shaped window that illuminates a small resting area and reveals expansive views of the city’s downtown area.

Its form is echoed in the semi-circular sunken lounge with green banquette seating next to the window.

Walls and ceilings seamlessly blend into one — The spa was designed to have a cave-like look

Other cavernous spas around the world include the Europhia Spa by DecaArchitecture, which is carved into the base of a mountain in Greece, and a subterranean spa in Brooklyn, New York.

Photography is by Studio FF and Studio RH.

Reference

curves

JJ16 apartment in Madrid features curves and colour blocking

arches, curves and rounded edges contour cafe in south korea

red bricks shape out a modern bakery cafe by sukchulmok

smooth edges and round shapes generate a sense of expansion

Atelier Right Hub replaces corners with curves in cavernous Hangzhou spa

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