Envelope Intervention

An intervention in any of the 5 facades of a building

3
Envelope Intervention

© 100architects

11

Jan

2014

Typology

What is an envelope intervention?
 
It is the type of intervention that takes place in one or several facades of a building, related to the altering of its exterior appearance or function, whether vertical facades or the rooftop, by adding or installing new alienated elements to its existing external envelope.
 
This typology has an immediate impact on the perception of buildings within the cityscape, and therefore a larger impact on the city than interior interventions. However, similarly to the interior interventions, the procedure also responds to a surgical or parasitic intervention, in this case revamping the external attributes of the building, changing completely the way it is perceived and used by citizens and passersby.
 
This tactical intervention is based on the colonization of the existing external surfaces of a building by coating or covering them or even by inserting alien objects, placed on top of them, providing aesthetical and programmatic benefits that can enhance the appearance, in the case of vertical facades, and even the functionality of the envelope, in the case of rooftops.
 
 

Styled Gate by 100architects

 

Sunset Resort by 100architects

© 100architects

© 100architects

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Latest Moments
The most magical place in the world.

The most magical place in the world.

This is an awesome place to hangout with friends and family. They have plenty of activities and sights to see to keep you busy all day. I recommend this place if you enjoy having fun.

Photo by Vicky Ardh

Taken at CREEK PLAY

Nicely designed. And great for IG posts. 😅

Nicely designed. And great for IG posts. 😅

Very nice place to see! Totally worth a visit!!! I didn't expected such a place here. Just grab yourself a coffee and relax and watch the colorful hustle and bustle there.

Photo by Estelle Ling

Taken at URBAN RIPPLE

What a great playground!

What a great playground!

This park is the greatest with a wide variety of play equipment you won't find at other parks. It is awesome. My daughter loved it.

Photo by Paul Lim

Taken at OCTOPUS KINGDOM

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Publications

Latest
Orange Phone Booth in 商店建筑 N03 from Japan

Orange Phone Booth in 商店建筑 N03 from Japan

The Phone Booths is a public space intervention powered by MINI China through its platform Urban Matters, which curates and creates design solutions that tackle urban challenges confronting China’s creative class.

Orange Phone Booth in 商店建筑 N03 from Japan

Big Bang in LAK N395 from Korea

Big Bang in LAK N395 from Korea

Big Bang is a creative public rooftop activation designed for a new mixed-use building located in the New Bund, the emerging international business center in Pudong (Shanghai), with the aim of fostering entertainment & social interactions among new visitors, appealing to kids, youngsters & adults alike.

Big Bang in LAK N395 from Korea

High Loop in La Vie N196 from Taiwan

High Loop in La Vie N196 from Taiwan

苏州河因有着诸多桥梁，甚至被称为桥梁博物馆，除了既定印象中的古调与灰色系墙面，由事务所100 Architects所发表、连接上海市老闸北和静安的凌波桥改造案High Loop， 更一举打破桥只是跨越的既定印象。

High Loop in La Vie N196 from Taiwan

100architects

100architects
Second video of The nest, this time by the talented Rex Zou. The project belongs to a particular typology of urban public interventions intending to be “urban toys for the city”. Following the studio’s belief that “Play is not only for kids”, but 100architects have also designed this urban playscape to boost joy and entertainment for kids and adults alike, regardless of their age. A colorful playscape that acts as an urban attractor, calling the attention by standing out from its urban surrounding environment. The narrative of the design of this multifunctional playscape, and hence its name The Nest, is driven and inspired by the idea of a colorful birth, a magical moment of birth of two little chicks in their nest, being accompanied by their mother bird, who is trying to provide them with their first meal. The three birds, as main IP objects, emerge in the center as vertical play structures which can be habitable by kids, climbing up & sliding down, finding in each of them different play opportunities. Surrounding the main birds, the project evolves with a pattern based on circles, which act as platforms for leisure and social interaction and in which a wide range of other functions are implemented in order to enhance the multifunctionality of the playscape. Those surrounding circles provide kids for instance with a sunken sandpit, swings or a trampoline; youngsters with a round ping-pong table and a fitness core; and adults & elders with features such as a Chinese chess table, elderly exercising equipment, and even different sitting components under eggshell-shaped canopies for shadowing. As a way of sewing all the circular components together, a meandering running track is used around them, turning the playscape into a multifunctional circuit of events to be enjoyed by kids & adults alike. To complete this urban intervention in a holistic way, the surrounding landscape is also solved with circular shapes of greenery, bushes, flowers and trees, enclosing the playscape in a safe way for kids to play freely. The colorful floor, solved with EPDM to absorb impacts while playing, renders a wide range of patterns, graphics and interactive games which connect the different spaces and activities of the space. The night effect of the project enhances the meandering shapes of all the eggshells through decorative lighting with flex LED strips on the edges. This includes the eggshells from which the little chicks are arise, and the ones serving as shadowing canopies. For functional lighting, lampposts were designed with smaller eggshell-shaped lamps on top.
The Nest through the lenses of RexZou
YouTube Video UCyoOpK5SjZlridYZ2AqFUFQ_qUW2_AgJ-nQ
Second video of Octopus Kingdom by Rex Zou This project is a new example of an eye-catching urban playscape designed by 100architects on the rooftop of Gateway One, a newly built shopping mall in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China. It is a hyper-stimulating urban toy for Nanshan District and for all the visitors of the mall, a colorful intervention that acts as an urban attractor, calling the attention by standing out from its urban surrounding environment. The playscape resembles a small village of sandcastles on the seaside, and a gigantic octopus emerging from the sea and approaching curiously the shore of this paradisiac beach, mesmerized by those colorful sandcastles. The 7-meters-high Octopus head, arises as to the main IP play object visible from all the surrounding buildings, while its 8 wavy & meandering tentacles are playful courses of challenging activities and obstacles at the ground level, helping children to develop their physical abilities and cognitive skills while learning through play. The 9 colorful sandcastles on the beach create a “Play Route” which children can travel crossing from castle to castle, discovering new play opportunities in each of them. The colorful floor, solved with EPDM to absorb impacts while playing, renders a beach, by using different shades of yellow to represent the sand, and different shades of blue to represent the sea. Besides the main Octopus and the sandcastles, the playscape is equipped with several sitting features, like the amphitheater for gathering, or stools & tables under a group of marine canopies for adults to rest while kids have fun. The decorative lighting strategy seeking to achieve an impressive night effect highlights the most recognizable profiles of the project, that is all the edges of the Octopus head, the edges of the sandcastles, and the edges of the amphitheater. Sparkling dots of light are embedded into the floor for a magical environmental effect, while custom-made algae-shaped lamps are implemented in the perimeter for a holistic and immersive marine experience.
Octopus Kingdom through the lens of Rex Zou
YouTube Video UCyoOpK5SjZlridYZ2AqFUFQ_9JvYkGJMnsI
Urban Ripple is a hyper-stimulating public space designed by 100architects around a newly built Exhibition Center in Guangzhou, the most populous city of Guangdong Province, China. Driven by youngster’s lifestyle, the Exhibition Center intends to call the attention of millennials and Gen Z through a wide range of functions, such as Modern Art Gallery, Party Rooms, Cinema, Band Room, Workshop Room, etc. In order to follow up that narrative, 100architects was commissioned to design a very eye-catching, stimulating and multifunctional public space surrounding the building, aiming to boost the visitor experience before even entering the building. The hyper-stimulating space is permanently open to public, not only for the Exhibition Center’s visitors but any passerby since this area completely belongs to the public realm. The project is inspired by the famous Zhujiang River (Pearl River), one of the most important and proud icons of Guangzhou, which also gives name to the client’s company. It features a simple yet striking combinative system of geometrized water ripples, where the main public functions for social interaction are placed, and striped urban corridors resembling the flow of the river while suggesting and encouraging pedestrian circulation. The main space of the project is right in front of the exhibition center; a colorful sunken plaza with seating features, greenery and shading structures, strategically located in the heart of this urban space, contrasting with all the greyscale circulations revolving around itself. Besides the patterns, the use of color plays a key role in the clear definition of both spaces, the one for staying and engaging socially as well as the one for circulating. Thus, circulation corridors are solved with shades of grey stone pavement, while for injecting vitality in functional spaces, vibrant colors are applied, using as a base, shades of aquamarine color for the pavements. On the other hand, contrasting, energetic & uplifting colors highlight the urban furniture and other features, in order to call and direct the attention of passersby. Additionally, the project is not only in the ground floor, but also extends to the rooftop of the building colonizing with an elevated plaza the top floor of the Exhibition Center, filling it up with colors, shading structures and seating features. Urban Ripple is equipped with several sitting features, amphitheaters for gathering or public performances, lounge areas, stools & tables under canopies to rest under shadows, as well as playful and interactive features, offering joyful and entertainment spaces for all kind of age groups. Altogether, the proposal creates a very uncommon and surprising public space, beautifying the surroundings of the Exhibition Center while boosting and stimulating visitors’ senses and experiences in the public realm. PROJECT NAME: Urban Ripple DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Hayley Huang, Michelle Aldora, Jango Zhang & Yuntong Liu. PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv & Eva Jiang. CLIENT: Zhujiang Properties SIZE: 4,000 m2 STATUS: Built LOCATION: Guangzhou (China) PHOTOGRAPHY: 郭小良 VIDEOGRAPHY: Lalo Lopez
Urban Ripple
YouTube Video UCyoOpK5SjZlridYZ2AqFUFQ_lMK9YJerRgQ
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