This is a hostel for artists, as well as backpackers, travelers, and businessmen created on the idea that everyone can be connected and share some ideas about art. The bed space was reduced to the minimum just enough to sleep, in contrast, the shared space was expanded to the maximum to increase the connection between travelers, the bathroom area is also shared. The hostel consists of three functional blocks: two blocks of music and art wing, and a block of bathroom and private rooms. These three blocks are connected by the common space that is shared space as well as traffic space that is opened to the maximum to nature. This is the main feature that makes the project become soft and harmonic. Some other features of this project are the entrances to the bedrooms which are no longer solid corridors, but instead are open luminous bridges.
Despite its simple spatial program, this hostel provides some loft studios with working space for the artists. These loft studios are divided into three types: music studio, sculpting and pottery studio, and painting studio. This hostel has brought both strong, industrial yet both harmonic, natural feeling. In addition, rustic bricks, cement, and wood were used cleverly to attract attention and recall some Taiwanese old architecture images. The stacked bricks around the hostel not only makes it look rustic but also acts as a second skin to protect from direct sunlight and to improve the airflow inside. To summarize, this hostel has become an attractive destination for the artists and travelers, it also contributes more green space to the city and reduces negative impact on the environment.
This hostel is separated into three blocks: two blocks for dorm rooms and studios with some co-working spaces and social areas, and a block for bathroom and private rooms. The left wing is assigned to musicians with practice areas, while the right wing is assigned to visual artists with co-working spaces. Transparent skin with vegetation double functions as an acoustic barrier on the left wing, whereas the porous brick façade on the right wing protects the mass from sun radiation and creates a play of light at some times during the day. The back block is composed of shared public bathroom, private rooms, and group rooms. Open corridors function as horizontal circulation and to connect these three masses. Lobby, café, and a pantry are located on the spacious ground floor, while laundry and the room of silence are located on the basement. These blocks are separated with open areas to support cross ventilation system.
The concept of natural ventilation is not easy to apply as this building has an elongated mass. This building is therefore separated into several blocks to allow the air to flow into the building. Open corridors which surrounds these blocks further allow the air to move and creates cross ventilation system in this building. These open areas are planted with trees to further optimize the natural ventilation. On the east side of the building, vegetation and open corridor are used to protect the living units. This vegetation shading is transparent enough to let some daylight in as the existing building on the east side is tall enough to protect this hostel from sun radiation. On the west side of the building, the brick façade was used to shield the living units from the harsh sun radiation. Brick façade ensures adequate daylight levels in the living units by having appropriate rotation angles for each bricks. A lightwell in the middle of this building also functions as a tool to improve daylight.
Direct radiations on the primary façade were analyzed. The open corridors the brick second skin on the west and north faces of the building were integrated as a buffer space between the building and the external environment to provide shade, while the openings in the second skin allows to let adequate daylight in the rooms and to let the building have vary levels of porosity to add element of interest. The radiation value of each grid cell became the input for the rotation angles of the brick in front. The second skin lowers 60% - 70% of radiation from the sun. Bricks were specifically manufactured with single holes so that they can be stacked one on top of another by inserting a 1” thick steel bar through the hole. No cement mortar was used to construct this second skin construction.
