Silver A' Design Award Winner 2024
Li Yipeng's Bamboo Cubic Exhibition Hall presents a masterful orchestration of materiality and spatial poetry, where woven bamboo screens of warm golden-ochre tonality dominate the left and right vertical planes, their intricate lattice patterns creating rhythmic visual cadences that filter and modulate the diffused daylight entering from the translucent gridded window wall at center. The compositional architecture establishes a tripartite structure with the lattice screens functioning as repoussoir elements that frame and direct attention toward the central focal point: a sculptural vessel of deep prussian blue terrazzo or aggregate material, its elegant crescent form cradling a delicate flowering tree with pale blush-pink blossoms that cascade and scatter across the composition. The chromatic palette operates within a sophisticated warm-cool dialogue, the honeyed bamboo tones advancing while the steel-blue vessel recedes, creating spatial tension resolved by the neutral cream ceiling and pale pebbled flooring that unifies the thermal extremes. Luminosity enters from behind through the frosted glass panels, rendering the space in soft, even illumination characteristic of northern light studios, with gentle shadows pooling beneath the sculptural elements without harsh demarcation. The perspectival system suggests shallow depth with overlapping planes establishing foreground screens, middle-ground sculptural installation, and background fenestration, while the geometric stepping stones of bronze or brass embedded in white aggregate ground create directional vectors guiding the eye inward. Surface textures range from the open weave tactility of the bamboo screens to the smooth polished aggregate of the vessel to the granular scatter of pale stones, establishing material hierarchy through contrast. Stylistically, the work resonates with contemporary interpretations of traditional craftsmanship, evoking affinities with wabi-sabi aesthetics and biophilic design principles that honor natural materials while achieving spatial refinement of museum-caliber sophistication.
Bamboo Cubic is an exhibition hall built entirely from bamboo. The design reflects the integration of production, life and ecology. All surfaces are made of bamboo, so the interior forms an immersive space. The structure is based on a cubic module. Several cubic modules can be combined to create varied spaces with a sense of depth. The name Bamboo Cubic refers to the versatility of bamboo and the variability of the cubic form. Traditional bamboo mats, weaving and craftsmanship are presented within the hall.