Modum Atelier, Daily - Liu Guowei · Modum Atelier Office Extension & SANGO

Daily - Liu Guowei

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Incremental Renewal: Weaving Continuity Between New and Existing

In 2024, Modum Atelier moved its office to Guochuang Park. In 2026, as the practice grew, we needed more space and decided to take over the adjacent bay. Using our own office as a testing ground, we experienced a complete process of urban renewal firsthand—an incremental and unplanned approach to transformation. From both the designer’s and user’s perspectives, we sought to “listen, look, and experience” the space, while reflecting on continuity, legibility, and the existing environment.

Reflections: Old and New, Overlapping The design of Office 1.0 was influenced by Venetian architecture and Oriental gardens. Following this thread, we revisited Venice and traced it to the INAIL building by Italian architect Giuseppe Samonà. Its two-storey facade is articulated by pilasters of different scales: broader pilasters act as “structure,” while slender ones form the “skin.” Through contrasts of color, light, and shade, the facade abstractly echoes the tradition of Venetian architecture. The superimposition of these two layers creates a dynamic, shimmering visual effect—an ambiguity of light that we also sought to achieve. For the entrance facade of the new meeting room, we chose a material with a similar industrial character but a different texture: translucent polycarbonate panels. Continuing with silver-gray aluminum would have made the facade feel too heavy and bulky. The lightness and translucency of polycarbonate instead introduce a sense of airiness to the facade. The canopy connects the old and new volumes. We deliberately extended it to make the temporal difference between the two interventions legible rather than conceal it. The new canopy uses corrugated polycarbonate panels, whose translucency distinguishes them from the existing corrugated aluminum panels, while their profile continues the formal logic of the original. The result is a relationship of continuity and difference. To soften the transition, we added a sliding metal curtain to the facade, as if a thin veil were laid over the junction between materials. Aluminum panels, red brick, and polycarbonate—together, they form a softer and more ambiguous material transition. Through this approach, we seek to respect and honestly reveal the traces of each layer of time, while bringing all the elements together into a coherent whole.
Cappella Laterale: Genius Loci Within One Room The building housing the studio was originally part of the Jiangnan General Mint of Casting Silver, a row of single-storey buildings with evenly spaced bays and brick-and-concrete construction. The new extension accommodates three functions: meeting, reception, and exhibition. Due to heritage conservation requirements and the existing structure, the plan cannot be substantially reorganized and must retain its original bay configuration. At the same time, we did not want the extension to interfere excessively with the daily operation of the office. These constraints led us to a strategy of “micro-intervention” and to a spatial archetype: the side chapel (cappella laterale). In Italian churches, side chapels are typically independent prayer spaces along the sides of the main nave, often enclosed or spatially defined for private devotion. They were commonly commissioned by individuals or families for the veneration of particular saints, with wealthier families sometimes expanding them to the scale of full chapels. The addition of side chapels is a recurring feature of religious architecture, found not only in churches but also in monasteries, memorial buildings, and funerary architecture. At its core, the side chapel creates an intense sense of place within an extremely limited spatial footprint. Inspired by this archetype, we sought to translate its spatial logic into the new space of the office. We redesigned the wall along one side of the existing office, integrating the entrance door to the small space into the wall panel. The rough-stone steps placed in front of the door subtly indicate the entrance, echoing the discreet access of a side chapel. To address the narrow width and excessive height of the new space, we introduced a secondary ceiling structure: the fabric is fixed at three points along the walls and ceiling, forming a steeply pitched roof with a sense of drapery. The introduction of concealed lighting makes the roof appear to float. It should be noted that this pitched roof is not a typical ceiling treatment of the side chapel (cappella laterale), which more commonly features flat coffered ceilings. Instead, it draws from the pitched-roof form commonly found in rural chapels, also referred to as cappella. It can therefore be understood as a form of formal transfer. The interior walls are finished with panels coated in a brown-red automotive paint. Their height is controlled at 2.3 meters to define the human scale. The continuous use of the material creates a clean, uninterrupted wall surface, reinforcing the sense of enclosure. The remaining materials include reclaimed timber flooring and weathering steel door and window frames. While keeping the textures of each material distinct, we sought to keep their colors within a closely related range. Brown-red, brick red, and cherry wood tones are combined to create a visually harmonious palette.
The Neighbor: An Unexpected Extension An unplanned, incremental transformation is like an improvised performance without a script, full of uncertainty. Yet this is precisely what can make it unexpectedly engaging. During the construction of the office extension, we happened to gain an opportunity to extend the design into the adjacent bay. The end unit of the row, directly next to the new office space, changed tenants, and the owner commissioned us to design an Italian gelateria. This gave us the opportunity to create a continuous facade. We continued to follow the logic of architectural restoration, maintaining a legible relationship between the old and the new. The entrance vestibule is conceived as a “metal element” with a curved canopy. The upward sweep of the canopy responds to its relationship with the office, creating a dynamic balance across the facade. The vestibule element twists toward the right, facing the small plaza on the vacant lot. The shop primarily serves fruit-based gelato, and the owner, a graphic designer, envisioned an uninterrupted “fruit pool” as its central concept. We followed this idea and transformed it into a form resembling a holy water font traditionally found at church entrances. This happened to correspond with the entrance experience of the cappella laterale, while subtly carrying the ritual of “cleansing oneself before entering” into an everyday commercial setting.
Conclusion Renovation is complex, uncertain, and full of possibilities. With so many threads to follow, we hold onto one and weave all the “interfaces” together. We respond to the traces of different layers of time with honesty and flexibility, ultimately finding a state of dynamic balance.