TLC Cultural Salon

Taipei, Taiwan

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TLC Cultural Salon

Taipei, Taiwan

Firm

Type

Cultural › Gallery Cultural Center
Educational › Library

YEAR

2009

In light of the client company's renewal process, the theme of the Taiwan Land Corporation Cultural Salon is that of "Transformation". While many of the existing features of the site caused initial physical restrictions, the use of a yellowish brick resembling some characteristics of a 19th-century warehouse allows for use of a material that could not only easily maneuver around obstacles, but also utilize a digital design process. The typical idea of a brick wall is quite bland, however, contemporary surprises occur in some parts of the walls and columns of the Cafe and Library portions of the Salon. Most of the walls are distorted and have become an enhancing element of design by using the most elementary of materials. These distortions are slight and smooth, but cause visitors to sharpen their sensitivity to these unique states. These walls become the main features of the whole complex's new architectural design. Fluid continuation of a traditional curve weaves through differently shaped space and function together, giving a steady keynote for the complex. The Gallery, on the other hand, is to be seen as a clean, contemporary display area: a neutral white box, stark in comparison to the warm Cafe/Library. The furniture of the Cafe are also designed with the idea of transformation in mind. Bookshelves designed with the same materiality of a Brooklyn warehouse -- brick, steel, and wood -- reinvent old materials. Additionally, the shelves' thin steel plates are supported by reclaimed Hinoki wood reclaimed from a demolished Taiwan University dormitory. The long tables and chairs of the Cafe, the "Morphing Chair/Table", utilize both traditional and iconographic profiles of furniture throughout history which are blended into one another and made from layers cut from a CNC machine. The "Calligraphy Light", above the main table, is also created by layers to create a flowing quality on its interior. It's boxy shape juxtaposed with sculpted interior allows for light to escape like calligraphy strokes on its surface which appear to move as one walks around it. Lastly, the "Voronoi Honeycomb Light" is another specially designed light for the Cafe's smaller tables. The irregular shape was fabricated with paper, which is easily cut and folded into tubes to create a light and airy lampshade.