in the taiwanese fishing village of qifong, atelier boter has completed a flexible office space for a local events company called fish forest. with the use of textile partitions, the 570 ft2 (53 m2) space switches between a private office and a public dining hall. from monday to friday, the curtains designate a private working space, then, at the weekend, the curtains are pulled open to the community.
images courtesy of atelier boter
a large proportion of the village is made up of retired elders. to help enliven the aging population, a young local began fish forest with the idea of organizing local tours and events to attract more visitors to the village.
the new office occupies a street corner, in an existing building that atelier boter has renovated. a concrete platform at the south-facing elevation provides a gathering place for locals to sit down and chat, enlivening the public streetscape. on the other side, a textured ramp leads into the building.
the interior space accommodates an eight-person workspace, a 20-person classroom, and a kitchen. in order to increase the flexibility of the open space, atelier boter used fabric curtains as a soft partition, making it quick and easy to combine the workspace and classroom into a 30-person dining hall. a serving hatch is added on the partition wall between the kitchen and the open space to increase efficiency while serving dishes.
plywood dominates the interior walls and ceiling finish to create a homely atmosphere. as the transparent glass windows allow the interior to be clearly visible from the streets, the urban landscape does not stop at the building; it continues the landscape with wooden materiality instead of the cold iron outer wall.
in an attempt to extend the structure of the taiwanese style community center, the designers replace the typical community center that only opens at specific occasions with one that opens to everyday life. in this way, atelier boter redefines the community center and office typology with a flexible architecture that gives space back to local villagers.
project info:
project name: the fish forest office
type: office
location: qifeng, linbian, taiwan
client: fish forest
architecture firm: atelier boter (chung kai hsieh and wen shan foo)
area: 570 ft2 (53 m2)
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edited by: lynne myers | designboom