Reyon Spa, Lujibang Road, Shanghai, 2008
HISTORY
KUU was set up in 2005 by Japanese-born Satoko Sakei, following her studies in Tokyo and Philadelphia (the name means 'an implosion of space' in Japanese). Sakei also spent several years in Shanghai at former tutor Qingyun Ma's MADA s.p.a.m, one of the first wave of new Chinese architecture practices (Qingyuan is now Dean of the USC School of Architecture in California). Kok-Meng Tan joined KUU in 2006, after studying in Singapore and Barcelona and working in Tokyo, Singapore and Shanghai, where he worked on restoration projects in the former French concession.
APPROACH
The practice is a blend of historic sensibility with futuristic innovation, using formal inventiveness to create 'a sense of wonder'. 'We prefer to talk about ways of doing and working, rather than 'theory', says Sakei. An early, unbuilt, project for a tourist centre in Baixi, in the Jiling Province, demonstrated an almost Corbusian approach to density, with a jumble of buildings creating an instant, dynamic community. Unsurprisingly, they're inspired by the work of contemporary Japanese urbanists like SANAA and Atelier Bow Wow, as well as the adept historic interventions of Carlo Scarpa.
FUTURE
Currently finishing off the conversion of an old townhouse into a luxury spa, KUU believe their own office is still the series of spaces that best defines their approach. A renovated 1930s courtyard house, it consists of a dense series of inside and outside spaces. Ongoing works include village houses in the Jiangsu Province and a villa in Fuzhou. They believe that the best new Chinese architects are choosing not to ‘ape global conventions of trendy contemporary design,’ and are instead looking for their own interpretation of the world.
KUU, 1F, #1, Lane 1417 Huaihai Lu, Shanghai 200031, China, Tel/Fax: 86.2164337792, www.kuuworld.com, office@kuuworld.com
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