QINGDAO DUPLEX PENTHOUSE
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PROJECT INFORMATION.

TYPE OF PROJECT | PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL | APARTMENT BUILDING

PROJECT SIZE | 450 SQ. METERS | 4,500 SQ. FEET.

PROJECT COST | WITHHELD AT OWNERS REQUEST.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION.

WE WERE ASKED TO CREATE A UNIQUE AND MODERN DESIGN FOR THIS DUPLEX PENTHOUSE LOCATED IN QINGDAO. DUE TO ITS LOCATION NEAR THE SEA WITH COMMANDING VIEWS FROM A MAJORITY OF THE SPACE, THE CLIENTS WANTED TO SEE AS MUCH OF THE SEA AND CITY VIEWS AS POSSIBLE. 

WE DISTILLED THE LAYOUT OF THE TWO STORY PENTHOUSE TO BE AS MINIMALLY CLOSED IN AND BE AS OPEN AS POSSIBLE. THE USE OF TRANSPARENT MATERIALS WERE STRATEGICALLY PLACED ALLOWING FOR THE VISUAL EXPANSION OF SPACE, NATURAL LIGHT THROUGHOUT AND THE REFLECTING | SHIMMERING LIGHT OF THE SEA TO BE PRESENT . 

TO ACHIEVE THIS FLOW WE DESIGNED THE WALL ENDINGS, THAT TYPICALLY ARE CONNECTED TO THE ARCHITECTURAL MULLIONS, TO BE SET BACK AND GLASS PANELS TO BE INSERTED IN BETWEEN ALLOWING FOR THE MULLIONS TO HAVE A CONTINUOUS FLOW FROM ONE ROOM TO THE NEXT. IN ADDITION, FOR THE UPPER FLOOR MASTER BEDROOM WE ENCLOSED THE FRONT WALL WITH GLASS, WHICH ALLOWED THE OCCUPANTS TO SEE THE SEA AND CITY BELOW AND ALSO HAVE TRANSPARENCY WITH THE ADJACENT FAMILY | MEDIA ROOM. AGAIN, CREATING A VISUAL FLOW AND TRANSPARENCY. THE SAME PRINCIPAL WAS USED IN BETWEEN THE MASTER BEDROOMS AND THE EN-SUITE BATHROOMS. WE LOWERED THE WALLS TO ALLOW FOR CLERESTORY WINDOWS TO BE INSERTED AND KEEPING WITH THE IDEA OF TRANSPARENCY AND NATURAL LIGHT.

THE MATERIAL CHOICES WERE KEPT AT A MINIMUM. COMBINATIONS BETWEEN HIGH POLISHED WOOD VENEERS AND SOFT HONED MARBLE FINISHES. SOME COLOR WAS BROUGHT IN, BUT GENERALLY WE USED AN OVERALL NATURAL PALETTE WITH RESPECT TO THE SELECTION OF MATERIALS. 

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS THE EXISTING STRUCTURE AND THE FIXED LOCATION OF THE MECHANICAL SHAFTS. THE HEIGHT CONSTRAINTS THAT THIS CREATED WAS THE STARTING POINT OF OUR INITIAL DESIGN PROCESS. THE FIRST WAS DEALING WITH THE STRUCTURAL BEAMS AND THE SIZE AND HEIGHT DIFFERENCES IT CREATED. THE STRUCTURAL BEAMS WERE FIRST COVERED IN LEATHER PANELS AND A GRID APPLICATION APPLIED TO CREATE A RHYTHM AND A UNIQUE DESIGN FEATURE. THIS ADDED A VISUALLY SOFT TEXTURE AND IN TURN LIGHTENED UP THE HEAVINESS OF THE BEAMS. THE STRUCTURAL COLUMN IN THE CORNER WAS COVERED IN A HIGH POLISHED WOOD VENEER TO ACCENT THE SPACE AND OFFSET THE LEATHER COVERED BEAMS IN A DIFFERENT MATERIAL.

THE OTHER ELEMENT WAS THE MECHANICAL SHAFTS. WE CHOSE TO WRAP THE ENTIRE SHAFT USING A HONED, SOFT RED, BRAZILIAN STONE. THIS CREATED COLOR AND CONTRAST AND BECAME ONE OF THE FOCAL POINTS WITHIN THE DOUBLE HEIGHT LIVING ROOM. THIS ALSO ADDED A CERTAIN BALANCE TO THE STRUCTURE ISSUES AND IT ALSO ADDED A UNIQUE FEATURE THAT CREATED A CERTAIN LANGUAGE THAT COULD BE APPLIED AS FOCAL FEATURES WITHIN OTHER SPACES. CREATING A COHESIVE WHOLE.

THE STONE WAS USED AGAIN IN THE MAIN STAIRCASE.  WE DESIGNED THE STAIR SYSTEM TO BE ONE CONTINUOUS BEAM AND THE STEPS TO BE FLOATING  ABOVE IT. THE INDIVIDUAL STONE STEPS WERE TO LOOK LIKE PIECES OF SOLID STONE WHICH ALSO ADDED TO THE STRENGTH OF THE DESIGN. WE ALSO APPLIED THE STONE ON THE KITCHEN ISLAND TO TIE ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER. WE THEN INSERTED A MODERN GEOMETRIC CHINESE SCREEN TO THE FACE OF THE ISLAND, WHICH OFFSET THE LARGE SCALE OF THE ISLAND, TO CREATE A DECORATIVE ELEMENT FOR ACCENT AND DRAMA.

THOSE SAME CUSTOM CHINESE SCREENS WERE USED IN THE MAIN STAIR SPACE. HERE WE APPLIED THE SCREENS VERTICALLY FROM FLOOR TO CEILING AND SET THEM WITHIN THE CORNERS OF THE SPACE. THIS CREATED A CERTAIN DRAMA AND SUSPENSE  AS ONE WOULD GO UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS. ANOTHER UNIQUE FEATURE. BUT THIS WAS INTENTIONALLY DONE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST.

CROSS CUT TRAVERTINE WAS USED A REFERENCE TO THE SEA BELOW AND FOR ITS INTRINSIC BEAUTY. FOR THE FAMILY | MEDIA ROOM WE WANTED THE TRANSPARENCY TO CONTINUE BETWEEN THE DOUBLE HEIGHT LIVING ROOM WHERE WE DECIDED TO COMBINE THE GLASS BALUSTRADE WITH A CUSTOM DESIGNED CANTILEVERED DESK, WHICH WAS FULL WIDTH BETWEEN THE MASTER BEDROOM AND MECHANICAL SHAFT, AND HELD UP BY CUSTOM STRUCTURAL METAL ARMS FOR SUPPORT. THIS APPROACH WAS ALSO USED FOR THE UPPER MASTER BEDROOM. A CUSTOM FULL WIDTH TABLE WAS ADDED IN FRONT OF THE GLASS WALL WHICH ALLOWED FOR THE SAME TRANSPARENCY AND LIGHTNESS. THE VIEW TO THE CITY AND SEA WERE ALWAYS MAINTAINED.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

PRIVATE ENTRY.

OPEN CONCEPT KITCHEN | DINING ROOM.

DOUBLE HEIGHT LIVING ROOM.

MASTER BEDROOM ONE WITH EN-SUITE BATHROOM AND W.I.C.

MAIDS ROOM AND SERVICE AREA.

MAIN STAIRCASE.

FAMILY | MEDIA ROOM WITH STUDY AREA.

MASTER BEDROOM TWO.

MASTER BATHROOM TWO WITH ATTACHED W.I.C.

BEDROOM THREE WITH STUDY AREA.

BEDROOM THREE BATHROOM AND W.I.C.