NAPP STUDIO & ARCHITECTS
TEMPLE OF ( CITY ) FABRIC
A FABRIC OF INNOVATION AND VERSATILITY
While yarns are weaved into fabric and knitted into garments that protect our bodies , building materials ( e . g . wood , bricks , steel etc .) are put together as architecture , keeping us from the weather and in warmth .
The awarded projects of this year ’ s HKIA Annual Awards are the indispensable components , the ‘ yarns ’ or ‘ bricks ’, that form the foundation and bedrock of Hong Kong Architecture , encouraging peers to keep up with the standard of excellence in generating our city fabric . To strike a symbolic analogy , we used the content of the awarded projects as the ‘ materials ’ to construct the exhibition space . A series of ribbon profiles are used to create a myriad of roofscapes through a gradual transformation from the first ribbon minimally depicting the origin of architecture - ‘ The Hut ’, to finally a ‘ Temple ’, and ultimately compiling into a full cityscape .
The entire exhibition is created using ‘ Tyvek ’, a fabric of innovation and versatility ; the synthetic material acts as a medium to introduce this year ’ s winning buildings to the public . Tyvek is a flashspun , highly-dense polyethylene synthetic fibre . Not only is it commonly used to protect buildings during construction as it has very good water-proofing properties , the story of its discovery began when a researcher working at the DuPont textile lab by chance noticed some white fluff coming out of a pipe . As technology improved , the fluff was spun at high speeds , and ultimately created a durable and sustainable fabric . Such echoes a spirit of experimentation and innovation that is essential for architecture and design . Strong against tear but can easily be tailored for design , Tyvek fabric also symbolizes the determination and adaptability of the architecture profession , resonating the qualities found in all of our finalist projects .
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