hung-yin yen expresses memorial as infinite loop of symbolic concrete

hung-yin yen expresses memorial as infinite loop of symbolic concrete
all images courtesy of hung-yin yen

in ode to his grandmother, architect hung-yin yen was requested by his mother to build a memorial. as an only child, she wished to express her profound gratitude through a unique spatial experience based around the theme of ‘mother and child’. with regards to the solemn reverence of the site in new taipei city, evoking this bond seemed appropriate with a soft, yet expressive structure he calls ‘journey’.

front view 

as the monument is located in a coastal area of taiwan with a higher concentration of air-borne salt, in-situ sulphate resistant concrete was used to prevent any weathering and to achieve a continuous finish. hidden by this extensive coating, a central steel tube also reduced the cross sectional area. a full scale polystyrene foam model was created in order to accurately fabricate the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) concrete formwork. at the same time, the three-dimensional data provided the initial bending radii for the core alloy loop. the lower portion of the mold was assembled on site, and after minor adjustments, the steel tube and rebars were welded in place. once the metal components were completed, the upper portion was joined together to proceed with concrete pouring. after dismantling the formwork, pebble aggregate was used for the final finish on the floor.

a symbol representing the bond between a mother and her child

traditionally, the fujianese tomb is surrounded by an omega-shaped ridge (Ω) that rises as it sets off from front to rear. extracting this constituent element as a starting point, the open knot ascends, as parent and offspring, symbolically embracing the space above before finally joining into one continuous structure. yen believes, ‘as this never-ending geometry implies, life in the vast universe is endless, this journey has neither a beginning nor an end.’

occupying the structure

detail of the concrete

looking at the structure from below

rendering of the structure

geometry drawing

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