THE FISH HUT

The Fish Hut responds to a lack of entertainment and gathering spaces in a primarily residential neighbourhood in Beijing, providing a tranquil space on the river for fisherman and locals to prepare, cook, smoke, and eat fish.

Although the space is designed for locals and fisherman, the “hut” is animated by the journey of the fish within the building: the transportation of the it through a pulley system from the boat dock to walking pier, the movement of the it along the drying wall that creates a kinetic sculpture, and the wafting smoke as the fish is smoked inside the smokehouse.

The main design driver for the project is traditional fishing village stilt houses, while the skeletal frame and cladding of each space is inspired by the bone and scale structure of fish. The geometry of the building aims to break the monotony of the existing bridge while integrating elements from the site’s picturesque surroundings.

If the Walls Could Speak: 168 Reborn is a reinterpreted façade cast of 168 Upper Street that captures how memory is embedded and distorted through the process of casting and wallpapering.

The project dissects the original façade elements, investigating manipulation and its relationship to the original architecture. The casting process parallels wallpaper production, alluding to interplay between positive and negative, compactness and fragility, and dimensionality change. Experiments delve into wallpaper making, including pattern design, ink layering, and printing methods. Each technique is cast, permanently transforming 2D decoration into a 3D form, narrating a hidden interior’s story. Distorted façade components reflect the building’s forgotten aspects, analyzing the paradoxical relationship between loss, capture, and transformation. Integrating transforming acanthus wallpaper showcases materiality change, form manipulation, and the dynamic rebirth of memory and experience.