"In making for ourselves a place to live, we first spread a parasol to throw a shadow on the earth, and in the pale light of the shadow we put together a house".
Junichiro Tanizaki. In Praise of Shadows

A study during a University of Hong Kong Master’s degree provided a unique opportunity to combine different cultural and architectural experiences concerned with drawing shadows. Shadow or penumbra, the simple act of blocking or sifting light, can involve a beautiful degree of complexity if it is taken beyond its functional relationships.

Delving further into the study of this issue, the students conducted their research from an initial starting point, which branched out in two directions. The first one focused on low cost, easily handled materials that are readily available in local shops. The second one focused on the use of shade in Hong Kong’s public spaces, in particular its Dai Pai Dong or open-air food stalls, analyzing their variants and their interactions with the public. Two sets of structural wooden slats with surface footings tauten the four layers of cloth that float above the grass, with a a 12 metre free span. The geometry of the canopy and consequently the shadow that it casts can be changed by means of a simple pulley mechanism.

Team:
Architects: Estúdio Gustavo Utrabo
Professor and photographer: Gustavo Utrabo
Teaching Assistant: Mariane Quadros de Souza
Students:Brenda Chang, Chen Wei, Chung Wingyan, Fan Pinyue, Jiang Naixin, Kent Mundle, Li Rui, Peng Chong, Sun Guolei, Wu Xialin, Xiang Shuyuan, Zhang Xinyue, Zhang Jie