Recognized by united nations and world banks, the City of Yiwu,which is the world’s biggest small goods market, having seemingly arisen over nightis now the center of trading for small goods in the world. The people of Yiwu, once worked on the farming fields dared to change their fates and stepped into the world of business and landed on success. “Breakthrough Innovations” is this city’s most valued essence. The city strongly encourages young entrepreneur, and with that in mind, the Lahas Zone was idealistically conceived and designed, centering a green environment that can incorporate services, offices, and exhibitions all into living comfortably.
For the successful implementation of such a green zone for innovations, Capital Domain commissioned avant-garde architect of the natural styles, Tsung-Jen Lin to create the showroom that will symbolize Lahas Zone. Differing from past sale centers, Lahas Zone was comprehensively renovated from an old factory building instead of built a new on the Lahas Zone site in accordance to maintaining green. In facing the many challenges of the oldstructure,while maintaining the integrity of recycled design and adhering to the developers intentions, Lin has created Chinese stylized models of living for the post contemporary age. Lin Believes，that the principles of green design are in the recycled use of the property and how to utilize an abandoned building undergoing a program change to its full potential.
The design for this abandoned factory would also have to consider long-term use beyond just a showroom, to incorporate a club like setting for future use in the effort to be true to green design. The plan is to continue transforming the space’s functionality in the future, section by section, to maximize its recycle output and a continuing renewal to program. However, the current main purpose was to utilize minimal construction to achieve a showroom with an air of ‘Subtle Happiness’. (The idea of ‘Subtle Happiness’ or ‘Syoukakkou’ came from the famous author Haruki Murakami to mean: Though it’s subtle and maybe pedestrian, it is a feeling of happiness that you’re completely sure of.)
To ease the cold atmospherics of the building’s bare cement facades, Lin tried to aesthetically create a space that contrasts to the building but would fit the warmer atmosphere that humans need. Therefore by adding wooden elements upon the bare concrete, combining tonality of the materials，it casts rough and delicate shadows through the space，texturing the spatial visage. The combination of these materials used throughout the site blurs the thresholds of exterior and interior while it breaks through the boundaries of architecture and interior design。
The layout had to be displayed well to not only to house the showroom models for the Lahas Zone but also display the external relationship between the unit models within the sunny atrium. To feel the nature from within the unit models, the atrium had to simulate the desired neighborhood surroundings inclusive of backyards, veranders and vertical gardens etc. Thus to better portray the green life to customers; to experience outside from within and vice versa.
As the feature of the atrium, to welcome guests and customers, erects a giant wooden cavern structure, acting as the focus. The structure starts way before one even enters the space, drawing people into the interior and then attentions will be paid from the floor all the way to the 3 story high ceiling that folds over to represent the roof to truly display a crossing of the interior/exterior threshold. The ‘roof’ is refracted tomany slices to reflect the atriums intake of sunlight, encouraging the Chinese people’s traditional views on wood and warmth, which is perfect for an atrium where people can wait and/or discuss the Lahas Zone. The other section of the atrium that is not encompassed by the wooden ‘roof’ but is left with its original solid concrete walls with the model of this residential development to give customers a sense of assurance and confidence.
The balance of the atrium between the two distinct sections creates a functional and emotional dialogue for customers to decide their dreams for their future lives.
Lin believes that people should presue a more relaxing atmosphere for living, thus monochromatisied the showroom, to depict a more peaceful life style. The whole showroom is set up like a little cafe where people can come and enjoy a drink or some coffee, to read a good book or some magazines under the warm sunshine. The subtle mood of the space is set for future occupants to project their dream lives of living and working into the Lahas Zone, to own ‘Subtle Happiness’ for themselves.
