The project started with a story about how my aesthetic perception gets translated into objects, how these objects become architecture to communicate across landscape, fabric and the human body. These explorations culminated in the design of Soft House, a splash of colorful and dreamy experience on the relentless lava landscape.
Soft House is designed for both the divine and the human. It is located at the southeast coast of Big Island, bounded by Chain of Craters Road in Kilauea, overlooking the ocean. The volcano was active as recently as in 2018 and the site newly transformed by lava rock and new grown plants. Since Hawaiian deity is largely focused on natural forces such as the tides, the sky, and volcanic activities, Soft House aims to maximize the experience of the surrounding environment. It grants residents exposure to the wind, the showering rain and the views which bring people close to the spirit of the deity.
With the site being so pristine and the temperature perfect for the human body, Soft house functions as an environment shelter. Conceptually, Soft House's formal expression is inspired by flowing lava, as the fabric of Soft House is constantly transforming and morphing with the wind. The design, conceived as a synthesis of steel rod structure and a single continuous fabric sheet, challenges conventional relationships between textile and architecture while engaging in dialogue with landscape and human form.
The metal wire serves as supporting structure, embedded in the ground while the fabric follows its original folding logic to create both spaces and circulation throughout. The blue part of the fabric, partially dips into the ocean and interacts with the rise and fall of sea tides. The fabric creates a softscape that mirrors both the natural terrain and human body’s gentle curves, delivering both visual and tactile experiences. Its stretchy, flexible nature transforms into spaces and furniture, inviting interaction and creating an ideal photography studio environment. The design’s blue section responds dynamically to tidal rhythms - serving as a swimming pool at low tide and becoming a portal to the underwater world during high tide. This interaction creates a sophisticated sensory experience within the vast volcanic landscape.
As a next step, Soft House would explore definition of becoming a soft architecture machine and environmental filter to further accommodate inhabiting.
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ADV VI Studio Makergraph, Columbia GSAPP
Studio Instructor: Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano @LOT-EK