concre(t)gation
{noun} concrete for gathering
Concrete, a economic and soild material. It makes people living closer than before, but most of individauls feel more distant to each other. It is barely to find non-concrete made buildings in big cities.
Some people start to rethink a new living with those giant conrete monster.
After the pandemic, people prefer to meet in person rather than online. Celebrating post pandemic era with families or friends for a picnic is a must do and we couldn't help thinking how we can touch it up with design and craftsmanship to make going for a picnic even more fun!
Picnic is not just about bringing food and drinks to enjoy in various open area. Style and atmosphere are also what picnic fanatics are after. Concrete is one of the amazing media to express texture and flowing forms which we find it ideal to reinterpret a conventional “picnic rug” or “picnic blanket” for a whole new experience engaging natural land and man-made surface while picnicking on such landscape art featuring peculiar concrete patches.
As a request from the client, the bar working area, the roastery and the multi-purpose room must be secured and invite-only with certain privacy. This tasks our design as we suggest the interior activities better be revealed rather than blocked. This is where sought-after materials come into play. We adapted polycarbonate panels with desired opaqueness framed with precisely fabricated painted steel frames as the main intervention which serves as spatial dividers and light diffuser for an incredible illuminating effect on both interior and exterior given different hours of a day. Given budget and regulation constrains, most area of the exterior finish was left untouched as a poetic contrast to our interventions.
The purpose of the multi-function room was better defined as we incorporated those light induced panels. Cupping seminar or lecture programs will be held from time to time with the activity vibes “revealed” to street passer-by via silhouettes and sound which is teasingly contagious. During the daytime, customers are invited inside to enjoy their coffee at their slowest pace. Indoor gardening is curated for a meditating ambience. Apart from enjoying the coffee at the standing bar or outdoor seating, another exceptional coffee drinking experience is served behind the scene.
The overall design gives a rational yet dreamy picture thanks to well reinterpreted materials and precise fabrication. We let the subtle elements do the talk. Light matters. Color matters. Translucency matters. Geometry matters. So do perceptions from taste bud to the sense of time.
We would like to take the “rug” idea more literally that our concrete design should patch on existing land instead of embedding chunks of concrete into the land. By doing so, little excavation needs to be done and hence, less footprint will be left on site whatsoever. In order to realize this concept, we break the design into four phases: mapping, optimizing, casting and engaging.
Diagram
Mapping is to digitally scan the landscape and generate 3D model for further site and design analysis as well as choosing preferred install area. Optimizing is to further understand the land contexts around the install area and also to understand users behavior and activities that allow us to strengthen the users experiences via shaping specific concrete forms. Casting is the phase where lots of magic will emerge. To patch the ground like a rug, GFRP reinforced concrete would be ideal to realize the thin cast while keeping the strength up. Surface textures will be examined to have an interesting dialogue with users while laying or sitting with certain postures and having skin contact with the material.
Finally comes to engage the project. We expect users to explore the transition between natural and artificial surfaces and find themselves enjoy the outdoor moments not on a concrete bench but a fashionable and lasting picnic rug made of crafted concrete and design intelligence embedded.