Fold of Relationship

This project located at Miami Design District, Florida. The Design District is the destination for the arts, design, and fashion. The site located in the northeast corner of the design district, the north side is the residential area, and the south side is the retail area.
This project is the fashion house for Issey Miyake. Folding, the space between body and cloth, and the interaction from clients in the design process are three essential concepts of his design.

Design Challenge

In this project, folding will play the most critical role. Folding is a kind of ideal methods to transfer 2-D to 3-D, which means that folding can make the space utility to the higher quality. Apart from this, folding is an excellent way to connect each different space, and at the same time, it will reserve enough transparent space to build a more comfortable experience. This Fashion House is not only a retail building but also a landmark to connect the different communities.

Physical Context

Miami-Dade is on the Biscayne Aquifer, the tiny shallow and porous air pockets of limestone are filled with rainwater and rivers which become the most important water resource of Miami. However, the harmful chemical from the city permeates to the aquifer through the contaminated soil. The biofilter layer can help with this problem by preventing the permeation of the chemical. Miami has a tropical monsoon climate, with hot and humid summers; short, drier, and warm winters. The mesh between two parts of buildings can help gather water from the air in the wet season, and the angled roof can lead the rainwater into the pool of the project. All of the water will be recycled by the biofilter pool and be used for the building. The folding form of the building creates various shades at different times a day. The space between the building and outside provides a place for different communities of the surrounding areas to have fun, which enhances the relationship between the different communities. The increasing presence of plastic in the environment is a concern for Miami Beach. This building uses recycled plastic as the building material. Comparing with glass, it will not cause light pollution. At night, the light from the building inside will illuminate the surrounding areas mildly, which makes the building become the landmark at the Miami design district.