Silks Club, Kaohsiung

In between city and ocean

What kind of atmosphere can present local feeling?

What kind of spirit can express intention for going international?

What kind of posture is suitable for a hotel in between city and ocean?

“Innovation, Technology, and Art” is answer we conclude for those questions given for design mentioned above, and also important spirit which needs to be presented in space, especially by technology we think. Simple to say “feeling is local but image is contemporary”.

Weather, humanities, and environment is common experience, and ocean is deep memory for local!

Same as other harbor cities in the world, ocean is a permanent exist and connection with the world to Kaohsiung. It can be seen, heard, touched, and also smelled, especially it never stop moving with kind of sense and status in unfixed form! So how to use contemporary way to express “nature status” of ocean which can create feeling of technology and avant-garde, but still with local sense is our basic design thinking and strategy. Put it simply,

“ local factor + contemporary express “!

GROUND FLOOR

Dancing Particles

The whole ground floor experience is created by 3 elements from entrance outside to lobby inside continuously.

Wave Screen - in water

Wave screen starts at entrance and is extended to lobby with purpose not just only to connect outside and inside but also create space sequence and intensify entrance axis!

Moreover, it’s also with intention to create kind of feeling “in water” by wave patter on screen when light going through holes and reflection from water pool outside on it as well.

Kinetic Sculpture - dancing particles

Kinetic sculpture inside lobby plays the most important role for creating space spirit. As in BMW Museum or Changi Airport, Singapore, ART+COM’s work always can express kind spirit of innovation and technology which is just as what we want in our lobby. Besides the digital technology they use is also very suitable for status and experience of ocean we intent to create. Imaginably, sometime it moves like wave movement or raining drops, and sometimes it looks elegant, or looks rapid. When it moves slowly, you just feel like time is slowing down or condensed!

Simple to say, what it expresses is not about form, but “status”, and what it presents is not just only an art, but more importantly it gives space spirit and creates imagination.

Ripple Wall - rhythmic brick

Ripple wall behind the counter is spread of “effect” from kinetic sculpture, “dancing particles”, and similarly, It’s status is also created by changing position and angle of single unit, brick to create whole kinetic effect.

Choosing brick, the traditional industrial material as basic unit is because we want to present kind of character with both traditional and contemporary feeling, especially spirit of craft in it by different way and technology to use it. Again, Simple to say

“Local Factor + Contemporary Express ”.