MVRDV's (W)ego house resolves egoistic nature of urban cities

in a bid to transform ego to ‘wego’ the why factory and dutch studio MVRDV‘s brightly coloured 9 meter installation – (W)ego house, made up of nine rooms that can be moved into different configurations – is the centrepiece of a series of interventions for the bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture (UABB). demonstrating the beauty of the existing and future urban village of shenzhen, it aims to reflect on the area’s developments over the last decades, and proposals for a better way to model its future.

the 9 metre installation comprises of nine configurable rooms
images © designboom unless stated otherwise

originally shown during dutch design week 2017, (W)ego house is an installation of several rooms made to fulfil idealistic but egoistic perspectives in a limited space. each colourful room is designed to suit a different occupant, the playful construction referencing the idea of being confronted by the dreams of others when living in a limited urban space, forcing users to negotiate with each other to optimise its’ uses. by way of doing this, the (W)ego installation hopes to represent a window into the future of adapting housing to the user’s needs, promoting the coexistence of multiple lifestyles in an optimized dense reality.

(w)ego house was first exhibited during dutch design week last year

under the umbrella title of ‘the future city is wide: products that will change our cities’, MVRDV and the why factory‘s joint venture demonstrates over 10 years of research by students of the why factory. it forms part of an exploration into how cities will develop in the future, in the face of issues such as climate change, declining resources and rapid population growth. alongside these installations is a presentation of the next hutong, a research project by MVRDV that reflects on the hutong’s developments over the last decades, and proposals for a better way to model its future. curated by meng yan, their other interventions include three sub-sections, which are archive, armory and laboratory, seeking to provide future developmental models for urban villages with knowledge, paradigms and platform for experimental transformation projects.

(W)ego is a concept for accommodation that can adapt to the different needs of any future inhabitants

each colourful room is designed to suit a different occupant

it includes a hot-pink multi-level suite and a bright yellow attic space

an acid-green section contains ladders and hammocks

MVRDV developed the project in collaboration with the why factory, the firm’s in-house research lab

on either side of the installation different rooms are revealed

stepladders lead to open bathrooms

3D render of (W)ego house courtesy of MVRDV

installation illustration courtesy of MVRDV

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about the UABB

designboom is main international media partner of the UABB, the seventh bi-city biennale of urbanism\architecture in shenzhen.

UABB is the only exhibition in the world to explore issues of urbanization, and this year’s edition of is jointly curated by hou hanrou (artistic directore of the MAXXI in rome) and founding partners of architecture studio URBANUS, liu xiaodu and meng yan. under the theme of ‘cities, grow in difference’, three sections are presented:
the two sections of urbanism, namely – ‘global south’ (liu xiaodu) and – ‘urban village’ (meng yan) are co-curated by zhu ye,
the – ‘art making city’ section (hou hanrou) is co-curated by yang yong.

urban villages and globally distinctive alternative practices are in juxtaposition with the interaction between the urban, architecture, art and culture for research and discussion and UABB’s highlights are the site-specificic installations.
different from other biennales in the world, as a site, the UABB is witness to the most drastic urbanization of the 20th and 21st centuries. as the outcome of collision and fusion between rapid urbanization and the urban-rural dual structure in the planned economic period, urban villages have been preserved as a highly potent urban laboratory and base for breeding alternative lifestyles, where newcomers start to settle in the city. the curatorial team wants to redefine the experience for visitors, in view of the special environment of the urban village — a more diversified, open-minded understanding and imagination on urban living and evolutionary patterns, thus to critically think about the value of urban life.

UABB’s main venue is nantou old town, shenzhen, china, with sub-venues set up in other urban villages around shenzhen.
december 15, 2017 – march 15, 2018