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Architects: KRIS YAO | ARTECH
- Area: 1211 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Shawn Liu Studio
Text description provided by the architects. Seeking harmony with the surrounding environment, the entrances of the Cosmology Centre extend outward from a cross-shaped axis. The plaza on the eastern side reaches into the existing banyan tree park.
The idea of acting against the force of gravity inspired the design of a floating cube in space, structurally supported by the concrete core setback in the center.
The depths of the vertical sunshades vary in a progressive sequence, so that the illusion of a sphere inside the cube can be seen outside as one moves around the building, visually experiencing a dynamic, changing façade.
Behind the external hidden sphere is a 38-meter high tubular open atrium, its height echoes with that of the Pantheon of Rome. It provides a direct communication between inside and outside, so that users indoors can directly sense the external natural environment, rain or shine, day or night.
The interior façade of the atrium models the heavenly bodies, made by perforated metal claddings. It also provides visual penetration through the hallways and decreasing echoes in the atrium.
The second through eighth floors are for laboratories. There’s an outdoor viewing terrace on the seventh floor for relaxation.
