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Aedas-designed Lè Architecture crowned Best International Office Architecture
Andy Wen designs a pebble-looking building with innovative walls
“The Chinese name of Lè Architecture, “砳”, means two stones,” Aedas Global Design Principal Andy Wen introduced us the Lè Architecture office building which was recently recognised at the International Property Awards. According to Andy, the design of the building drew inspiration from the shape of two pebbles he found along the Jilong River, and through which, he hopes the design will echo with the riverside environment.
Green wall helps lowering temperature
Andy wants four different facades on the building. The one facing the west is a large green wall so that car drivers on the highway will see the Jilong River on one side and a large piece of green wall on the other.
The green wall also serves as a sun-shading device and effectively lower the temperature of the west facing side. Greening on the pebble-shaped building is like mosses covering a pebble.
The shelter canopy connects the two buildings. To align with the neighboring creative industries, the building was also carefully planned to provide an ‘urban living room’ for every 2 to 3 floors, with pantry areas for interaction and meetings. The river-facing side feature a series of highly vegetated outdoor terraces with unparalleled views of the Jilong River.
“Connecting with humanity”
Born in Taiwan and grew up in the United States where he gained his professional qualifications, Andy recalled when he first went back China to practice years ago, developers rely on foreign architects to design landmark buildings. He was even advised not to speak any Chinese but pretend to be a foreigner, until he accidentally blurted out Chinese in a presentation at a later stage.
The experience laid the ground for Andy’s later designs with a firm belief to integrate local elements to his building design. In his opinion, Taiwanese are pragmatic when it comes to real estate. Taiwanese developers employ well-known foreign architects to produce a masterpiece of design, but they are doing this mainly for business and money-making purpose. Works of famous architects are good and high-end but they are usually not tailored for the local communities. “Buildings are not like LV bags. If we want the buildings to root in the local community for decades, they must establish a relationship with the local history and culture.”.
