When you walk into the office of architect Zeng Zhiwei in Waishuangxi, you are unexpectedly surrounded by nature. The cat lazily enjoys the sunlight coming in from a high place, looking down at the architects who are immersed in their work.Zhiwei’s desk is filled with rare stones, branch insects, even snake skins, and various animal specimens. These things brought from nature, old utensils and things collected over the years, seem chaotic, but they are all inspirations, images, locales, and small scenery.Extending to the starting point of more imagination, it seems that his architectural world can be seen from his desk.
Text: Liang Jingwen / Photography: Ivy Chen
Because「Shao Shao – Primitive Feeling Laboratory」, by Eric Tsang「Natural Yangxing Architectural Office」In recent years, it has attracted a lot of media attention, and it has also given Taiwan an architectural field that is closely connected with nature and makes people feel calm and happy.Looking at other works such as Daxi Old Tea Factory, Tsang's love for nature is obvious, and he also has a detailed observation of Taiwan's ordinary culture."Taiwanese culture is very mixed, and the local components are very profound and charming. Although there are many things here that are casually or hastily constructed, such as tin houses, there is a lot of ordinary people's wisdom inside. These wisdoms can be sorted and reorganized.have an impact."
Respond to the building itself and let go of expressing yourself
Like Shao Shao Shao, the space is derived from the orchid mesh greenhouse that has long existed in life. The structure has been strengthened and changed into a curved shape, making people feel happy to blend in, just like a shelter in the mountains.Zeng Zhiwei recalled that he had tried very hard to think of seven or eight plans, but he always felt that something was wrong. He felt that it was just to express the capabilities of the design team. “Slowly we found that we had to respond to the architecture itself and let go of expressing ourselves, so that we could show the original feeling.The world is constantly changing, and there is no need for another powerful building. It is better to look for things that exist among ordinary people and that have not yet been embodied. Many designs nowadays are not connected with life and have no interaction with past experiences.There are many very violent things in Taiwan, which may be very small, but when the scale becomes larger, they will become more intense. ” To say that Shao Shao is his work is actually more like an exercise in thinking.
The world is changing all the time, and there is no need for another powerful building.
It would be better to look for things that exist among ordinary people and things that have not yet been embodied.
The most well-known thing about Eric Tsang is that he spent a very wild childhood in Palau. "When I was a child, I was sent to study so far because I was too naughty. No one cared about me in those days. I often went to the beach to swim, play with sea urchins and scallops, and even went on adventures at night."Talking about the insect corpses on his desk, he gently brought them to his home, which has been a traditional Chinese medicine store for decades. He grew up with corpses of various medicinal materials and flowers. He even tried to store dried seahorses and small seahorses under the bed. He only discovered it many years later when he had to move.
Ten years ago, he bought a piece of land because he fell in love with Bali. He always spends several days there every year. This place has become another focus of his life. It is simply the local culture and mountains that deeply attract him."In the world of Bali, everything is a container. Farmers eat in the wild with leaves. Everything is a spirit. Mountains and seas have gods. They worship motorcycles and televisions. They cherish everything. The human condition is to have a lot of trust.” Although he himself couldn’t seem to explain why, he always felt particularly excited and happy when facing everything in nature. Many experiences he had as a child shaped him without leaving a trace.
In the world of Bali, everything is a container.
Farmers use leaves to eat in the wild,
All things are spirits, mountains and seas have gods, we also worship motorcycles and televisions,
They cherish everything, and the human condition is to have a lot of trust.
I originally thought that Zhiwei bought the land in Bali only after his job became stable. In fact, it was a willful decision that everyone opposed. "It was a rational debt. I regarded it as the concept of studying abroad."Construction work requires precision and concentration, but on the other hand, I just want to relax until I explode.” He described that he also experienced a dark decade when he first started his business: he was admitted to the British Architectural Association, but he did not have the financial resources to go abroad. Inexplicably, he went to Papua New Guinea to build a national house.However, he encountered a team dispute and was gangstered, and returned to Taiwan with his life;When the SARS studio had no cases, his co-workers also changed careers. It was not until he received a case from the Nantou Sun and Moon Tea Factory that he officially had the opportunity to show off his talents.
glittering temple
During the interview, Zhiwei didn't talk much. He always spoke out some thoughts slowly, but his answers were unexpected. They were a bit conflicting, a bit funny, and very naughty. Like asking him what kind of building he would like to design in Taiwan if there were no restrictions?He thought for a moment and replied: "Temple. Maybe I want to be more fancy as I get older. I want to build a glittering temple." It is really difficult to imagine a glittering temple from his past works. But after listening to his explanation, you will find the similarities.
"It is a place with no specific religion. It is not limited by form. If you walk in with your own beliefs, your mind will naturally settle down." There are many inspiring temples in Japan, and he hopes that temples in Taiwan can also have such a texture."I once saw a collection of statues of gods drifting on the sea on Heping Island. It has a bit of a concept of a shelter for deities in trouble. I thought it was very interesting. Taiwanese temples have the smell of blessing you since childhood, like a smell laboratory.If there is a shining golden temple in a dense city, it is not limited by formal religion or gods, but is a kind of conflict, a kind of luster, and a kind of awe of life. It is a space that everyone will want to come to. "
Martin Margiela and Nobuyoshi Araki
As you can imagine, Zhiwei is a person who doesn't like to go out. Apart from spending time in the office and the connected residence, Bali, he only goes to Eslite to read books when he goes to the city center.Surprisingly, he rarely reads architectural books. "I like reading photography books very much, and I really like Araki's works, especially the footage of his father's death. He put his father in a yukata, and only noted that his tattoos were in a state of frivolity, not illness."appearance."What is rarely mentioned to the outside world is that he, who has nothing to do with dressing or fashion, likes fashion designer Martin Margiela very much. "The single color in some spaces is a bit Martin Margie.The purity of la brings a very calm atmosphere."
Everyone likes to talk big these days to brag about themselves. Ask him if he has any sense of mission as an architect?"I never thought that much, nor did I think very strategically. Putting myself in a good position should be able to have some influence or inspiration. In the eyes of others, I am just another person, and I don't necessarily need to be recognized and understood."Just like the religious temple in his eyes, it naturally becomes the center of a small community, staying in its own place without having to affect the world.
Taipei City Recommendation: Shao Shao Primitive Sense Laboratory