UR Duplex Apartment in Shanghai by STUDIO8
— “ALWAYS HAVING YOU IN SIGHT” APARTMENT connected by one “bridge” and two staircases

How to describe and preserve time when you are with your loving ones? When you are at home, you might want to have some “me” time as well as have all your family members in sight.

Shanghai-based architecture design studio STUDIO8 has completed a 420-square-metre duplex apartment for a young couple with two kids. The couple wants a spatial and clean space where they can have their own space for different activities and at the same time be able to spend quality time with family and friends. Converting the owners’ way of living into timeless space design is a key focus in residential design for STUDIO8. “The owners of a home shall always be the soul of the place and our key inspiration,” said the architect.

The apartment is located on a quiet street in the center of Shanghai along which grows French platanus and magnolia trees over ten-meter-height. The tree crowns are just at the height of the balcony window, which make the apartment an urban retreat for the family. The project involved transforming a 4.6-meter height space into a duplex apartment creating connections between various rooms and updating it to a better match with the clients’ contemporary tastes.

The owner told the architects that they don’t need too many rooms. After listening to the family’s needs and description of their daily life, the architects have decided to make the space as open as possible creating most chance of sight connections between areas. Taking advantage of the height of the apartment, a sculptural volume formed by a passage, a straight staircase and a fireplace is inserted into the junction of living room, dining room and kitchen, joining as well as dividing the public and private functions of the house. In order to make the mezzanine more solid and stable, STUDIO8 has decided to use reinforced concrete as structure, which makes it crucial to study the opens of each space and position the beams strategically hidden without affecting the ceiling height for both floors.

The passage of central volume starts from the entrance, passing through the dining room and living room at its both sides, horizontally connecting the kid’s room, storage room, couples’ walk-in closet and husband’s study room on the upper floor, while the straight staircase and the fireplace, as the feature of the double height living space creates the vertical connection. From the family room downstairs to the study room upstairs, from the veranda to the living room, from the passage upstairs to the fireplace corner downstairs, the family can have sight connection with each other from every corner of the open area. A second more private metal staircase is also from the master bedroom to their walk-in closet.

Special lighting features are designed to complement the humble material choices. Lava stone and stucco of marble powder provide the space a timeless homogeneous shade with subtle reflection on surfaces of different textures. A dynamic modular sofa island is placed in the center of the living room to connect all areas around, where the kids can climb from one side to the other. The family room next to it, being comparatively the lowest space, is opening towards the double height staircase with continues light oak floor and low furniture setting that make the space cozy and spatial. Beside the dining table with irregular pebble-shaped frosted glass pendants hanging over is the veranda and the warm grey monochromatic kitchen. The kitchen is under the walk-in closet that limited its ceiling height. But thanks to the connection with the dining room and the sight of the street trees from the veranda windows, it feels just like a breath between the two areas.

“We really enjoy the time STUDIO8 has planned for us in different corners and the fact that we can always have each other in sight”, said the owner. And that’s exactly STUDIO8’s aim for this duplex apartment.

上海梧桐树下的复式公寓
——八荒设计“视线连接”复式住宅

当与家人在一起时，如何描述时间？如何保存时间？你或许既希望能够给自我一些空间，同时又能够让家人都时常存在在你的视线中。

八荒设计完成了一套上海420平米复式公寓。公寓的主人是一对年轻夫妇和他们的两个孩子，他们希望他们的家是一个有空间感、简介，有满足不同功能的私人空间，同时也能够与家人朋友共度品质时光的地方。如何将主人的生活方式诠释于空间向来是八荒设计在住宅设计中的最大关注。八荒设计的建筑师说：“一个家的主人应该是空间的灵魂，是我们设计中的唯一重要灵感”。

公寓位于上海市中心一条种满法国梧桐和玉兰树的幽静街道。超过十米的梧桐与玉兰树冠刚好遮挡住了阳台的窗户，为家庭带来一份都市纷扰中的宁静。项目涉及到将一个四米六高的空间改造为一套空间灵动连接、风格当代简约的复式公寓。

公寓的主人说他们不需要太多的房间，他们每天都有很多时间在一起相处。在倾听了主人的需求和生活状态后，八荒的建筑师决定突出房子的开放性和空间感，最大程度的提供空间与空间之间视线连通的可能。利用四米六的特殊层高，一个由通道、楼梯和壁炉构成的有雕塑感的构筑物被巧妙的插入空间中客厅、厨房和餐厅的交界处，有机地分割同时连接了公寓的私人和公共功能空间。为了使二层空间给人更加稳定、扎实的感觉，八荒设计选择了使用钢筋混凝土来构筑公寓的复式结构，这就使得如何有策略地利用空间开敞方向、和隐藏相对笨重的二层结构的梁显得至关重要，才能使四点六米的层高不会因为局部插入了二层结构而显得压抑。

位于公寓中间的通道从家的入口开始，横向的连接了位于二层的孩子房间、储藏室、夫妻的衣帽间和男主人的书房。从通道上可以看见两侧的餐厅和客厅，空间被分隔开同时又完全连通。挑空客厅中心的楼梯和壁炉纵向连接着复式公寓的两层空间同时也是客厅的视觉中心。从楼下的家庭室到楼上的书房，从连接餐厅和厨房的早餐日光室到客厅的阳台，从二层的通道到一层客厅的壁炉边，开放空间的各个角落都功能明确但又可以视线相连。同时增加了一部螺旋式的钢楼梯，连接主卧与楼上的衣帽间，保证主人使用的私密性。

特殊的设计旨在与简约的材料选择形成对比。 火山石和大理石粉灰泥为空间提供了均匀色调以及经久的美感，光线在不同纹理的表面上形成微妙的反射。 一组动感的模块化沙发中岛被放置在客厅的中央，连接周围的各个区域，孩子们在上面可以从一侧爬到另一侧。 客厅旁边的家庭房是相对最低的空间，但这里向挑空空间敞开，配合连续的浅色橡木地板和低矮的家具布置，使空间显得温馨而宽敞。 悬挂一组不规则鹅卵石状磨砂玻璃吊灯的餐桌旁，是日光室和暖灰色的单色厨房。 厨房位于步入式衣橱下方，天花高度受到限制。 但位于高天花的餐厅和日光室的行道树影间，感觉就像两个区域之间的一次呼吸，全然没有压抑之感。

“我们真的很享受八荒设计为我们安排在家里不同角落的时光，而且这里的每一刻时光我们都能关注到彼此”公寓的主人说道。 这也正是八荒设计这套复式公寓的想要达成的效果。