GEMDALE CORPORATE UPGRADE LOBBY | One plus partnership

In order to advance the artistic vibe of the Kunming Office Building, the designers have  transformed the original space into an interactive zone by adding several unique art installations to provoke people’s thoughts, sensations and feelings. Kunming is located in the Yunnan province. One of the most famous natural sights in Yunnan is the ‘Stone Forest’, which is a notable set of limestone formations. The tall rocks seem to arise from the ground in a manner somewhat reminiscent of stalagmites, or with many looking like petrified trees, thereby creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Some of the sites have even been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

‘Stone Forest’ has inspired the designers for this series of art installations - Stone Forest Pavilion, Interactive Sculptural Art Installation at the first floor lobby, Mountain Range Art Installation at the office building lobby entrance and Zig-zag Art Installation at the drop-off area. You may see the concept of Yunnan Stone Forest connected throughout the entire area.

The Mountain Range Art Installation at the office building lobby entrance was also inspired by the Stone Forest concept. Decorative green rectangular planes are arranged in various angles. These V-shaped polylines remind people of the outline of the mountain range. This eye-catching installation also serves as a signaling agent. Guests could immediately spot the entrance of the office building from afar, which distinguishes itself from the other residential buildings.

The original design of the first floor lobby was relatively conventional. It required the designers to make significant artistic improvements on the basis of the completed lobby. With a limited budget, the designers spent a lot of time to think of a various form of the design which would still connect with the ‘Stone Forest’ theme. In the end, they came up with an idea to illustrate the Stone Forest in a rather abstract way.

The designers re-created the outline of the Stone Forest in the space. A large perforated board was erected in the lobby, and a ‘v-shaped’ board extending from the ceiling was used to pass through the vertical board - together, they form an independent group. These groups in different colours are spread throughout the space and create in interactive sculptural art installation.

The designers considered that the lobby, as the entrance of the office building, will also have reception and waiting functions, yet some clients may still prefer a certain degree of privacy. Therefore, they chose perforated metal plates to enable permeability - as Yunnan Stone Forest has irregular stone caves, they opened holes in different sizes on the metal plate to resemble this characteristic. An extra touch would be the interesting shadows being cast on the ground and the wall when daylight shines through the holes.