Condition:
We were asked by the client to design a new studio space for the Department of Architecture with staff offices and reception, totaling 1,780 sq.m. With a modest budget and limited time, maximum adaptability and flexibility seemed to be an inevitable solution.

Concept:
A typical phenomenon in Hong Kong, the client faces scarcity of space for teaching and administrative purposes. Multi-functioning and coexistence are essential.

Construction:
The “heart” of the space is the multi-purpose “crit room” which we have developed a portable furniture system to work with a partitioning system. It is classroom(s) in the morning and Crit/Design Review space in the afternoon. The “closet-on-wheels,” which is designed to store drawings and model display pedestals with “pin-up” surface on the outside, acts as flexible partition to further subdivide the “crit room” into small pocket spaces. It is equipped with sockets and A/V plugs in order to create maximum potentials and configurations for various uses and purposes.

Within this “crit room”, all the walls/pivoting doors, measuring 2.5m x 2.35m, are designed to be rotated, slided and ultimately “dissolved” to create a large and uninterrupted year-end exhibition space.

The staff offices and reception space occupy a quite corner of the floor. It provides teaching staff and students/visitors a more tranquil environment for meetings and academic exchange.