Utopia Imba Yekugara by Fei Zhao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Mubairo weSirivha we A' Design Award in Nzvimbo yeMukati neMusangano Competition Category.

SirivhaMukati· 2023

Utopia Imba Yekugara

by Fei Zhao

Client: 323 Studio

Mubairo weSirivha we A' Design Award Winner in Mukati Category

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Colors

The Design

About Utopia Imba Yekugara

Chiedza chechisikigo chinopenya ndicho chitubu chechimiro chenzvimbo iyi. Iyo organic, inosanganisirwa nzvimbo yaive yekunzwa vagadziri vaida kugadzira, saka ivo vakaenzanisawo yakawanda organic space maitiro, kusanganisira kumisa kwemifananidzo yekuvaka. Nzvimbo yepasi pekutanga yakatora hafu yenzvimbo yese, asi mwenje uripo mukamuri yepasi wakangobvumira muridzi kugadzira imwe nzvimbo isina basa kubva mairi. Kuti uvandudze huwandu hwekushandiswa kwenzvimbo yese yepasi uye kuwedzera mwenje, mugadziri anoda kugadzira chivakwa chitsva chakatenderedza mwenje mukati.

The Recognition

About the Mubairo weSirivha we A' Design Award

Mubairo weSirivha we A' Design Award wakahwinwa ne Utopia Imba Yekugara, rukudzo rwakakwirira zvikuru runopiwa kumadhizaini epamusoro, anonaka uye anofadza. Vakunda veSirivha mabasa anopenya kwazvo uye ane kugadzira kwakasiyana anoratidza unyanzvi, hunyanzvi hwekusikwa nekungwara kwevagadziri vawo. Utopia Imba Yekugara inotarisirwa kuva basa rinoshamisa, rinotangira vamwe, rine hunyanzvi hunoonekwa uye zvitsva zvakadzika. Dhizaini iyi yakahwina Mubairo weSirivha we A' Design Award chigadzirwa chinoshamisa, chinokudzwa chinobatsira uye chinosundira mberi miganhu yehunyanzvi, sayenzi, dhizaini netekinoroji. Utopia Imba Yekugara chigadzirwa chinoshuvirwa nevazhinji, chinomutsa zvishuvo, chinouya nemanzwiro akanaka uye chinomutsa kushamisika.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: As a narrow north-south facing townhouse, the original building has 4 floors, 2 above ground and 2 below (the basement has a height of 5.5m and can be divided into 2 floors with only a small patio to provide light). Facing south as the main direction of light, it relies on a stairwell to connect the various floors and comes with a lift. After observing the site and realizing that no well landscape was around the site, we decided to make an Inward facing construction within it.
Dimensions & Packaging: Indoor area 420 ㎡
Tags: Organic, light and shadow, lighthearted, sculptural, textural contrasts
Production Technology: The curved wall and the laminated cast-in-place revolving staircase were a very big challenge for this project in terms of landing. First of all, the curved wall is an irregular shape, and the boundary of each floor has different positioning dimensions. In order to keep the errors to a minimum, the builder used ropes to locate the 2 layers connected to the basement at multiple points while positioning according to the drawings, just to ensure the coherence of the curved walls.
For the construction drawings, we refer to the positioning method of Toyo Ito’s construction drawings, the contour grid positioning method.
Design Challenge: Guiding the constructor to land our project, and connecting with the structure and electromechanical team, both are hard nuts for us to crack. There are many first attempts for us, also for our constructor.
Research: We focus on the impact of light on the residential environment, taking sunlight as a case study, by observation of the duration and direction of sunlight at the winter and summer solstices.
Inspiration: The radiant natural light is the source of the form of this space. An organic, inclusive space was the feeling we wanted to create, so we also compared a lot of organic space practices, including the positioning of the construction drawings.
Project Duration: The project started on October 17th 2020 and finished on August 1st 2021 in Zhengzhou, China.
Operation Flow: In terms of functional distribution, we clearly divide the functional areas of each floor, which are both independent and well-connected.
The 1st floor and the 2nd floor underground are the main floors for daily access, serving as public spaces, while the relatively independent 2nd floor serves as residential spaces. Owners also have the need for daily gatherings, so we try to make each functional area larger.The staircase has been redesigned to provide a more comfortable connection of traffic flow between the functional areas on each level.
Patents: Design copyright: 323studio
Team Members: Designer: Ran Chen
Image Credits: Photographic institutions：WMstudio