BRANCHING BENCHES by Napp Studio & Architects

Oi! has always been committed to community building, connecting design with everyday life and presenting Hong Kong’s history and culture. It engages the public and the community in different designs through a wide range of exhibitions, projects, community events, sharing and co-organisation, proving that heritage and modernity can coexist.

Oi! has always been dedicated to the building of community and bridging design with everyday lives that celebrate the history and culture of Hong Kong. It has proven through its wide range of exhibitions, events, community activities, sharing and collaborations that heritage and modernity could coexist through design that engages the public and the neighborhood.

▼Project overview, overall of the project  ©Jimmy HO

Oi!’s activities and programmes have always been diverse, and our designs are inspired by traditional objects, while expressing them in a modern way, allowing for a highly flexible use and layout, making it seem static but extremely adaptable, giving another kind of vitality. This design can also be changed according to the context and occasion of the community.

Understanding the diversity of events and programs Oi! offers, we try to devise a proposal that is inspired by traditional objects while bestowing upon it a modern interpretation to cater for the flexible uses, layouts and programs so that the intervention is not static but dynamic and changeable. It could evolve based on contexts and occasions with the community.

▼Hand-painted analysis diagram, sketches  ©Napp Studio & Architects

Benches are a very common item in Hong Kong’s public spaces, and they contribute a lot to Hong Kong’s culture and community. From old-time food stall wooden benches to ordinary benches in Hong Kong’s modern parks, benches provide space for rest, chat, play, and even dining.

Benches are very mundane objects in HK public spaces but they contribute so much to the culture and communities of Hong Kong. From dai pai dong wood benches in the old days to a common bench in a contemporary park in Hong Kong, benches provide a social space for resting, chatting, playing or even dining.

▼Inspired by the wooden benches of old food stalls  ©Jimmy HO

▼Flexible layout and form to adapt to different community scenes  ©Jimmy HO

The benches have different forms and functions as mentioned above, but Lianlizhi attempts to satisfy many different community scenarios simultaneously with a highly flexible system. It can change its layout and form according to where it is placed in Oi!, and evolve into objects that meet the needs of different occasions or events.

▼analysis diagram, analysis diagram  ©Napp Studio & Architects

While benches could have different forms and functions as stated above, “Branching Benches” tries to reinterpret the benches that could cater to many different community scenarios through a highly mobilizable and modular system. It can change its layout and forms based on where it is placed in Oi! and what is needed based on the different programs or events.

▼ Overlooking the benches, over-looking the benches  ©Jimmy HO

▼Details of the benches, details of the benches  ©Jimmy HO

▼Details of the small table made in metal  ©Jimmy HO

▼Plan 1, plan 1  ©Napp Studio & Architects

▼Plan 2, plan 2  ©Napp Studio & Architects

BRANCHING BENCHES
Date: February 2022
Location: Oi!, Hong Kong
Design Team: Aron TSANG, Natalie KO, Wesley HO
Fabricator: Screw Up Studio, Kam Hung Metal
Photographer: Jimmy HO
Client: Oi!

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