A 47m2 apartment renovated from a typical workers' of the early 90s. Cut in the middle slice of those North-South oriented slab building, the plot measures 15m by 3m, with a tiny light well plugged into the kitchen and bathroom.

The strategy is to rearrange the functional parts and make them as compact as posssible while leaving the rest as free as it can be. Each component in the space is carefully orchestrated to create a movement in the space, which goes beyond its actual usage, just like what's been done in the traditional Chinese gardens.

The original structure of the building is partially renewed to free up the space, allowing for a constructive re-planning. The apartment is conceived as one single room with zones of different daily activities. A clear-white bedroom with enclosed balcony, connected via two door openings to the busy-colorful study room, continued all the way to the dressing room. 

Only two sliding doors with glass windows are necessary for the kitchen and bathroom in-between, even when the doors are closed the space reads continuous. Same language applies to the windows, which repeats the idea from one to the other by glass brick extension. The entry door, reading in similar intension, is selected from a recycled piece from a 1920’s apartment nearby.  Glass brick is also used for bathroom wall and together with mirror, light is fused and echoed all around. 

All fixed furniture are built with plain plywood, finished with a 50% white oil treatment. In contrast with the patterned walnut floor walls and ceilings stay white and simple, allowing for the performative furniture collected from contemporary to the aged to play their parts.