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A Solitude of Place
2016

public work project
Program: Guest house, Tearoom

„Zwickel“, the translation of the word into English „gore“ meaning: triangular or tapering piece of land”, is the name of this project site. There is a triangular garden/yard between 2 buildings having 15m in depth and less 2.7m in width. For the reason of the narrow entrance and the overgrown bushes people have barely entered in 30 years. „Zwickel“ is distinguished as a place of abandon, place of a void, if not, nó-man's-lànd in a cityscape.
„Of other spaces“ as defined by Michel Foucault in 1967, later its part of his essay „Heterotopology” fits to describe to this place. Altering an abandoned site into a place of pilgrimage and visiting this place for becoming one's solitude are the purpose of this project. The fundamental concepts to build are:

 • Simplicity
 • Change the perspective
 • Making In-between space, inside and outside (e.g. Growing a tree interior)
 • Transience (i.e. time makes unavoidable change)

The retreat-like pavilion in the thicket is located far back from the road. A floor space is minimum 5 square meters. The whole floor is covered with Silver leaf. The colour of floor is shining like platinum at the beginning, then they will be oxidized, turning colour brown and into black gradually. The interior of the minimised space has actually 5 types of different sized windows and a flap door. The interior light condition is changed dramatically by opening each window. Four full-length windows run from corner strut to other end offering a view through the foliage to the garden.
The outer wall is clad in charred black boarding, burnt using the traditional Japanese Yaki-sugi method. Treating the timbers in this way gives the siding the weather, decay resistance and durability. The timber acquires a unique charred texture but impresses more simple and unified appearance.
The garden/yard is divided in front and in the rear of the building. The front yard is wild nature garden and the courtyard is a minimalistic rock garden. But the whole site is hidden behind secret entrance anytime.



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