Situated in Hangzhou, China, within a three-storey gallery of 3000 sq. ft., Arthouse Café is on its 3rd floor. As the client suggested that this project is free of corporate branding, designing the café’s identity was completely up to the designer in working out the best company image. Serving coffee in the daytime and alcohol at night, Arthouse Café provides visitors with a new dynamic ambience within the exhibition building.
Movement and interior space usually appear in direct opposition, as dynamic and static, whereas interior setting is in general considered to be static in contrast to the moving human body. Base on this concept of spatiality, a dynamic form was created for the static interior space. Movement of the human body through these dynamic space will then generate a non-determined concept of space where spatial and bodily boundaries are constantly blurring.
With minimal use of materials such as timber, marble, glass and Corian, this area is constructed with basic components for building a new landscape. It aims to stimulate each visitor’s unique and complicated sensation. Inspired by geometry and especially using triangles as blueprint, the “moving triangle” concept is manifested by placing triangles in three-dimensional form to surround the whole sitting area. Slight changes of simple lines construct the character of the cafe which is unique and could bring every individual into a new geometric context.
By introducing a simple triangular form in various dimensions creates a mass that tends to dematerialise through movement. This design attempts to break the boundary between traditionally divided units such as the wall, floor and ceiling, enabling communication between the interior space and users.