Situated on the top floor of a commercial building, “Ark” is a premier medical aesthetics pharmaceutical corporate club. This space is designed to showcase corporate strength, display flagship products, and entertain guests, all while providing an immersive experience that transcends the present and ventures into the future.
Project Name: ARK Club
Studio Name: VGC Design
Project Location: Chengdu, China
Project Area: 800m2
Completion Time: January 2024
Chief Designer: Michael Chen
Detailed designer: Ding Fei
Project Management: Wen Ming
Project construction: Zhejiang Construction Decoration Group Co., Ltd.
Structural design: Luanlu Structure
Landscape design: Parallel Vision Landscape Studio, Michael Chen
Soft decoration design: VGC Design, Qianmo Design
Lighting design: Artluci*Owen
Photographer: Yu Space Photography, Liu Wei
Rejuvenated and Everlasting Life
The arrow of time always moves forward, and the river of entropy never flows backward, leading everything towards disorder. Designer Michael Chen began working on the “Ark” project in 2022 during a special lockdown, infusing his thoughts on life and destiny into the project’s conception. Human imagination of the universe is based on the exploration of our own existence. Lifespan is constrained by time, a fundamental law of the universe. Thus, humanity’s quest to slow the wear and tear of time in life becomes a lifelong endeavor. In this project, the theme of “time and life” creates a transcendent space. Like an ark carrying the strength of life, it floats in the river of time and space, waiting for people to board, get rejuvenated, and sustain life.
Part 01: Femtosecond Hall
“Seconds” are the pulse of time, beating in the boundless sky. The “Second Ring” installation in the lobby shines backwards, with the “Waterfall of Light” symbolizing the reverse of time and space. The intertwining of the “Second Ring” with stainless steel columns presents a dynamic scene, with waterfall-like light and shadows echoing the ring, creating a tangible sense of time’s passage.
Part 02: Temple of Time
“All matter originates from a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds them together. Behind this force exists a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter.” The space is constructed with various circles, forming a field in physics. The curved stainless steel wall panels reflect light, injecting flowing energy into the space. LED screens display different visual effects, allowing deeper interactions between viewers and the space, emphasizing human presence despite the modern technological ambiance.
Part 03: Starlight Hall
The side glass walls present the traditional cosmology of “round heaven and square earth.” The black stone floor creates a profound effect reminiscent of the earth. Breaking traditional furniture forms, the designer arranges tables in the multifunctional hall like scattered planets. Mobile tables and chairs move like planets, changing the layout for meetings, entertainment, and other functions, offering guests a unique experience.
Part 04: Ethereal Hall
Besides the showcasing exhibition hall, there is also a welcoming reception area. Inspired by the Song Dynasty practice of “watching the meal” to stimulate appetite, the dining table here shows “magnificence,” allowing guests to feel “the greatest of life, from the micro to the macro.” Honeycomb mirror panels expand the space, providing a celestial dining experience.
Part 05: Fang Yuan
Shunmyo Masuno said, “We need to find out the contemporary nature of gardens, always be contemporary and even ahead of the time.” The white architecture stands out against the dark sky, with streamlined white strips like star trails. Carefully selected and arranged plants evoke a sense of alien planets and the future. The “Ark” connects the interior and exterior, sailing through the past and into the future.
