New Taipei City Government Office Comma Lab: create your own space
J.C. Architecture
Interior
/
Completed
Comma Lab, New Taipei City Government Office, is a government initiative that could create many possibilities.
With the surrounding sunshine with natural scenery outside the window, the vitality of greenery extends from the french casements on each side to the whole inner space; shorten the distance between humans and nature and symbolizes many possibilities of government infrastructure. We aim to create an environmental-friendly, multi-functional, and efficient working area.
At the very beginning of our designing progress, we had decided to break the traditional Asian thinking mode of an office design. We brought a flexible design to this project, infusing traditional Taiwan “eat together” culture, which represents the big family relationship between the New Taipei City government and its citizen. This main idea brings out each employee will not have their own cubic but will be able to communicate and cooperate by sharing mutual working space.
Aside from the one-way traditional conference, separating the curving desk and galvanized iron sheets slides back and forth. People can join into different groups to start conversations while the speaker gives his speech. The flexible design of this office can let the main area adapt to different occasions, even letting co-workers hold a large-scale 50-60 people educational training. The design of a translucent curtain in the conference area maintains privacy and the broadness of visual sight. By using the new design method, we reduce the waste of disposable materials and using recycled materials for table pillars. The design meets the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, accomplish our goal of changing our usual daily conference image.
There are several technical challenges that we have faced through achieving our goal. First of all, this governmental building's fire system is unremovable, some of the batten-and-space ceilings have to lower down with the sprinklers. We have to change the original plan of the ceiling shelf and redesign the iron bracket design to maintain the function of the fire system. Secondly, due to the limited budget and sustainable thinking, we change the wooden tube into kraft paper tubes to present a lively structure to sustain movable chairs and tables. By using the kraft paper tubes, the result successfully works and even lighter than we expected.
We’re giving back space to the right of users. People can discuss, eat together or have new chances to meet new people and ideas in Comma Lab, it lets users create their own space and meet the needs of rapid changes in this digital age.
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Removing cubicles, and instead, design one huge table
Kuo-Min Lee
Opening up the entrance with natural lighting and tree lined boulevard connection
Kuo-Min Lee
The table slices open to other possibilities
Kuo-Min Lee
Open space for multiple funtions
Kuo-Min Lee
Rethinking the table detail with sustainability and recycle possibilities
Kuo-Min Lee
The refurbishment of New Taipei City government office, in the hope to bring new ideas, confidence and a sense of pride into a institutional working environment
Kuo-Min Lee
Looking up from a curtain meeting room
Kuo-Min Lee
The flexible ceiling structure is designed to hold different hanging elements, such as planters, boxing, or swing beds
Kuo-Min Lee
A picnic area designed by the window, to link the interior landscaping with the exterior tree boulevard
Kuo-Min Lee
Working, exercising, interacting
Kuo-Min Lee
A picnic area designed by the window, to link the interior landscaping with the exterior tree boulevard
Kuo-Min Lee
Infusing the traditional Taiwan “eat together” culture with paper cutting, which represent the big family relationship between New Taipei City government and its citizen.
J.C. Architecture
The plan of Comma Lab
J.C. Architecture
One table, different usage
J.C. Architecture
Original floor plan
J.C. Architecture
Site before construction: cubical spaces that represents typical Taiwan government office
J.C. Architecture
Exploded view of Comma Lab
J.C. Architecture
The flexibility of space allow for different government departments to use the space, possibility interacting with each other at the same time.
J.C. Architecture
Design of the big table allows for multiple uses of space according to user needs
J.C. Architecture
Each function thought out for different uses
J.C. Architecture
Sketch image of the roulette entrance design, demonstrating the casualness we want to achieve with this office
New Taipei City
Taiwan
New Taipei City Government
02/2020
296 sq. m
J.C. Architecture
Johnny Chiu(Lead Designer)/ Nora Wang(Lead Designer)/ Marisa Cheng(Team Designer)
J.C. Architecture
J.C. Architecture
Kuo-Min Lee
Curriculum
J.C. Architecture is a multidisciplinary design firm with projects ranging from hospitality, commercial, institutional to industrial design. The firm has won several awards such as the World Architecture Festival WAF(INSIDE) World Interior of the Year. JCA is operated as a studio think tank, developing research and experimental methodologies for new possibilities for pushing design into every corner of their work. With the combination of great minds amongst different disciplines and the always fun and passionate staff, JCA aims to create a new sense of identity and character for the world to inhabit.
