Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Joyce Wang Wins Inside Award with Metal-Centric Xintiandi Penthouse

Share this Post!

A Xintiandi penthouse by Hong Kong architect Joyce Wang took the Residential Award at this year's Inside Festival for her innovative use of industrial-inspired metals. In Wang's words, the space is "a celebration of metal."

The impetus came from the client's personal history: he made his fortune from manufacturing micromotors.

joyce_wang_shanghai-3_0

"Xintiandi Penthouse" is largely an amalgam of sheet metal, weathered metal, and metal cabling. Wang utilized five kilometers of the latter and employed traditional boat-building techniques to do so. Much of this went to the penthouse's striking cantilever staircase.

joyce_wang_shanghai-100

The staircase was the centerpiece of the project and of Wang's Inside Festival submission. According to the entry, the function of the staircase is triadic. First, it envelopes a dining table, evoking a "'nest-like' environment." Second, it serves artistically as a sculptural installation. Third, it acts as a physical barrier between the dining and living areas.

joyce_wang_shanghai-86

Wang's bedrooms are also exceptional. They do not have windows. Instead, they are arranged along a hallway and fenced with one-way mirrors through which daylight can pass. Wang attributes this decision to the client's familial values.

joyce_wang_shanghai-8_0

Though the space retains an industrial ethos that is intentional, Wang believes she managed to "inject femininity into those materials that are traditionally very hard, by manipulating the form and also making them more digestible in terms of scale." Wood-grain etched concrete, walnut timber and Corten steel are all visible.

joyce_wang_shanghai-17

China's industrial history was an important inspiration for the project; however, Wang denies that the interior is "a pastiche of East-meets-West," crediting her ingenuity to her client's passions.

joyce_wang_shanghai-71

Inside Festival took place in Singapore from October 1-3, 2014. This year's festival will begin on November 4th, also in Singapore. Entries open in February.

Photos courtesy of Inside Festival; details courtesy of Dezeen

author avatar
Nina Wolpow

Related post