live nature by ida and billy at hong kong shenzhen biennale 09

live nature is a public seating area built around a tree image courtesy of ida & billy

the price of an apartment in hong kong is rapidly rising up to 70, 000 HK dollars per square foot. within this congested metropolis, and the typical dream of living within a sky-high, marble clad apartment, with roman columns and chandeliers, ida sze and billy chan have envisioned a setting which brings one’s attention to another reason for living in the city. their contribution to the hong kong shenzhen biennale, ‘live nature’ characterizes the uniqueness of hong kong which not only lies in its incredible hyper-density, but also within its close proximity to well-preserved areas of nature, bringing together a complete idea of life in the chinese city.

for their pavilion at the HKSZ biennale, the duo has designed a space made from unfinished plywood coated with clear lacquer, in five sections each of 2.4m x 2.4m (2 full pieces of plywood) x 0.5m(29 layers of 17mm thick plywood), centering around an existing tree. here, city dwellers and visitors alike can come and have close contact with the tree, sunlight, shadows, wind and sky, the providing an escape to nature within the urban landscape of hong kong.

live nature we have a desire to live by nature. we use this pavilion to create a setting to supplement camp sites and resorts, to call people out during beautiful days, to taste the joy of living under a tree!

sections of home lives are abstracted to sculpt this pavilion, tree crown replaces concrete roof, to shelter for sleeping, dining & conversing. soothing sunlight, singing birds and swaying shadows, aren’t they better than marble stones, moulded cornices and chandelier? – ida and billy

image courtesy of ida & billy