canyon-like steel interior by foshan topway design houses ‘zcmetal’ exhibition hall in china

architecture studio foshan topway design has created a canyon-like interior covered with stainless steel walls, for the headquarters & exhibition hall of ‘zcmetal’, a metal product customization company based in foshan, china. the project draws influence from natural sceneries, as well as from elements of the brand identity, to generate an immersive spatial experience for the customers. 

all images courtesy of ouyang yun

with a product portfolio that includes furniture, decorations and art installations, ‘zcmetal’ emphasizes the combination of modern carving technology with traditional craftsmanship, and works to endow products with artistic aesthetics, natural forms, and humanistic spirit. merging the concept of naturalism, with the brand’s characteristics mentioned above, foshan topway design has formed the interior as a ‘magic canyon’; a free, refreshing space where visitors feel like they’re brought into nature, and liberated from fatigue and burnout. 

the spatial design is inspired by natural elements like the sun, moon, stars, ravines, cliffs, sand, stones, and flowing water. the entrance emerges as a canyon-like passageway, the stainless steel walls of which are manually forged and polished. the ground is paved with flat, reflective stainless steel to elevate the canyon, while the ceiling is decorated with LED screens to simulate the sky suffused with stars or sunglow. the cliffs, ground, and sky complement each other, adding depth and charm to the whole interior.

the walls on both sides of the ‘canyon’ meander with unconstrained curves, and the trenches on the walls are stacked layer upon layer, as if they’ve been weathered for years. the varying light and shadows create surreal scenes, immersing visitors in a mesmerizing experience. here, users can engage in a dialogue between man and nature, as they observe the poetic spatial scenes that showcase the harmony of motion and stillness, hardness and softness, and perfectly reveal the appeal of naturalism. 

a stainless steel waterfall-like art installation is added within the space, with a few drops of water attached to the erecting walls on two sides. the piece represents the view of water falling down from the ceiling, and splashing on the ground. meanwhile, a spiral ‘bridge’ rises from the ground, passes through the cliff walls at two ends, and stretches towards the waterfall, thus creating a scene of mountains, flowing water, and waterfalls. it also provides visitors with the experience of enjoying the scenery on the bridge, whilst interacting with people beneath.

the design highlights the unique forging process of metal, and the distinctive natural textures of materials. furthermore, it also presents the freely flowing state of iron ore when melted at high heat in the process of metal forging. ‘as designers, we’re living an environment with cold reinforced concrete buildings and fast-paced lifestyle, thus increasingly desiring to return to nature,’ foshan topway design shares, ‘through this project, we intended to create based on the design concept of naturalism; we tried to integrate environment with nature to create a people-centered and personalized space.’

project info:

name: zcmetal headquarters & exhibition hall
architects: foshan topway design
chief designers: wang zhike, li xiaoshui
participating designer: lu zhongwen
decoration design: yang shiwei
location: foshan, china
area: 500 m2

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