Janus ᱵᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ by Junlin Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ in ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱯᱨᱚᱫᱟᱨᱥᱚᱱᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ Competition Category.
ᱨᱩᱯᱟᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ· 2024
Janus ᱵᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ
by Junlin Zhang
Client: Janus
A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ Winner in ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #156360The Design
About Janus ᱵᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ
ᱡᱟᱱᱩᱥ ᱫᱚ ᱪᱤᱱ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱪᱟᱝᱥᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱢᱤᱛ ᱦᱩᱭᱥᱠᱤ ᱟᱨ ᱠᱚᱠᱴᱮᱞ ᱵᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱛᱷᱚᱲᱟ ᱒᱐᱐ ᱵᱚᱨᱜᱚ ᱢᱤᱴᱟᱨ ᱦᱟᱵᱤᱡ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱟᱨᱭᱟ ᱢᱟᱦᱞᱟ ᱨᱮ ᱥᱟᱡᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱥᱟᱢᱟᱝ ᱦᱤᱥᱟᱹ (ᱯᱷᱮᱥᱟᱰ) ᱫᱚ ᱟᱞᱜᱟ ᱦᱮᱸᱫᱮ ᱡᱮᱭᱳᱢᱮᱴᱨᱤᱠ ᱵᱞᱚᱠ ᱟᱨ ᱠᱞᱟᱥᱤᱠᱟᱞ ᱵᱤᱵᱨᱚᱬ ᱛᱮ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱢᱤᱛ ᱠᱮᱱᱴᱤᱞᱤᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱯᱞᱮᱴᱯᱷᱚᱨᱢ ᱨᱮ ᱢᱤᱛ ᱠᱞᱟᱥᱤᱠᱟᱞ ᱢᱩᱨᱛᱤ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱯᱩᱭᱞᱩ ᱢᱟᱦᱞᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱫᱚᱥᱟᱨ ᱢᱟᱦᱞᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱢᱩᱞ ᱡᱟᱭᱜᱟ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱪᱟᱴᱚᱢ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱢᱤᱛ ᱦᱩᱲᱟᱹᱜ ᱦᱚᱛᱮᱛᱮ ᱥᱤᱸᱜᱤ ᱢᱟᱨᱥᱟᱞ ᱧᱟᱢᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾ ᱥᱤᱲᱦᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱫᱷᱤᱞᱟᱹ ᱠᱟᱛ ᱯᱟᱴᱟ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱛᱮ ᱡᱟᱝᱜᱟ ᱞᱟᱛᱟᱨ ᱨᱮ ᱠᱚᱢᱚᱞ ᱥᱟᱲᱮ ᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱴᱤᱡ ᱩᱨᱩᱢ ᱧᱟᱢᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾ ᱥᱤᱫᱷᱟᱹ ᱫᱟᱜᱽ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱠᱟᱛ ᱵᱷᱤᱱᱤᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱟᱭᱱᱟ ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱴᱮᱱᱞᱮᱥ ᱥᱴᱤᱞ ᱛᱮ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱢᱟᱦᱚᱞ ᱵᱮᱱᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ
Janus ᱵᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱩᱱᱫᱚᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ Janus ᱵᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Janus is a whisky and cocktail bar with a social aspect. Our client had two demands: one was that the audience should not interpret this place according to the literal meaning of Janus or their traditional concepts, and the other was that the audience should have more than two different spatial experiences in this place. These different spatial experiences combine as an integral whole rather than to be independent ones.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 200 meter-square
- Tags
- bar, whisky, postmodernism, hard and warm feeling, retroism, experimental
- Production Technology
- What exactly are we talking about when we talk about spatial ambience? Is it sunlight, air, sound, materials, textures, or colours? I began to think about the overall relevance of the façade in relation to the first and second floors. They are at once traditional, strong and thick, even a little archaic and they are at the same time receptive, inclusive, interesting and experimental. I tried to use postmodernism to summarise the atmosphere created inside and outside the building. I decided to create the façade with clean and simple geometric blocks, which is the style of contemporary. But it also has classical features in the details. To this point I felt that these designs were not enough because the conflict had not reached its climax. So I added a cantilever platform to place a classical sculpture. It was at this point that I felt the importance of such design planning came to the fore. The pure black and hard blocks together with the classical sculpture bring the sense of power and make it attractive. Such not complicated aesthetics give audiences more possibilities to imagine.
- Design Challenge
- I decided to create the façade with clean and simple geometric blocks, which is the style of contemporary. But it also has classical features in the details. To this point I felt that these designs were not enough because the conflict had not reached its climax. So I added a cantilever platform to place a classical sculpture. It was at this point that I felt the importance of such design planning came to the fore. The pure black and hard blocks together with the classical sculpture bring the sense of power and make it attractive. Such not complicated aesthetics give audiences more possibilities to imagine.
- Research
- I tried to decipher the form of beauty, but I found that I could not describe or categorise it accurately and clearly. It can be specific things such as people, air, light, sound or colour. When we deal with different clients and different conditions of the place, the results are unpredictable. It reminds me of Louis Kahn, who asked the red brick what it wanted to be.
- Inspiration
- When I first went to the site for mapping, I was very excited and surprised by the light on the second floor, when the sunlight was pouring down from the daylight opening. My first reaction was that the place already has distinctive features that can bring audiences different moods, and experiences in the daytime and night-time. I then began to conceptualise how to create two or more different atmospheres in the space. Creating is the art of making a meaningful whole out of individual components
- Project Duration
- The project was launched in March 2023 in Changsha, China and completed in June 2023 in Changsha, China
- Operation Flow
- When I open the door to the first floor, the confrontation between the interior space and the facade appeared which is confrontation in colour, material, the whole and the fragmented. But this does not detract from the formal unity of the exterior and interior. The retroism without losing the independent style declares their relevance. The staircase guides to the upward space, and I deliberately used loose wood as the tread of the staircase. Stepping on it has a rustling sound and can feel the rebound of the wood. This is completely different from the feeling of crossing the first floor with steady steps. The first floor also doesn’t have the light and shadow spilling out from the top. The low linear strip of light on the side of the handrail is a safety cue as well as an orientation. People in such environment begins to become focused and anticipated. The spatial atmosphere of the second floor is basically the same as what I had conceived. Everything is as it is. There is no conflict, no exaggerated arrangement, no criticism and no attempts. I am like a director who arranges the work of each department and position in an orderly manner. Covered wood veneer with vertical grain delivers both hard and warm feeling. Mirrored stainless steel breaks the calm and refract light and images that change with the activities of the people in the space. Sometimes it is cold, sometimes warm, sometimes noisy, sometimes quiet and ambiguous.
- Team Members
- Lead designer: JunLin Zhang
Extension designer: WenLiang Liu
Rendering designer: JingYu Zhang - Image Credits
- Ueya photography（Lei Liu）
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