Unit-by-Unit

Located at the entrance level of the Department of Architecture of Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University in Suzhou, ‘Unit-by-Unit' is a project for managing, archiving and exhibiting architecture students’ work. Aesthetic concept is an ascetic, austere visual language celebrating the unit, the archival box.

The central, long steel-cabinets derive from unit’s dimensions (44.5cm D x 34cm W x 33cm H) and store CDs, A4 and A3 folios of studio work, essays and exam papers. They are surrounded by transparent volumes: glass shelves and exhibition double-glass walls. The glass shelves store models. Their depth accommodates large pieces (90cm D) and their height (20-60cm H) takes in short and tall models. The exterior double-glass walls on groundfloor, exhibit selected student models and 3d products forming XLarch’s exhibition space.

The project aims at creating a clear, comprehensible order allowing students’ work to be easily archived and exhibited for a 5-year time frame of RIBA accreditation. It reflects soberness and method along with the orchestration of a creative experience.

Illustration