Articles by Collin Chen

The Background
Drama stages have occupied important position in the cultural life of Chinese countryside since ancient times. Usually a stage is a public activity center of one village. Rural constructions, celebrations, festivals and fires, and villagers’ gatherings used to be all centered around the stage, which is playing as a public facility. Even after the founding of the People’s Republic, drama stage has not withdrawn from the history. The combination of “stage and rostrum” had once gave this former traditional architectural element new life in modern context. Various sport events, rural elections, festival performances and other activities continue to extend the vitality of drama stages.

Creativity is infinite and without borders. Creativity is a line, as well as a surface gathered and transformed by the lines.

Mountains surround the house in the south, covered with thick forests.

Project background, the continuing transformation of an old village into a new one
Wangjiatuan village is located in Zhangcun town, Huancui District, Weihai city, Shandong province. It’s about a 30-minute drive from the city center. The village belongs to the scenic area of Likou mountain, which is one of the passes into the mountain. Its geographical location is convenient and important. The village is located in an east-west valley, North-south high, with streams running through it.The village form is long and narrow, the surrounding natural ecology is intact, the agricultural landscape resources are rich. There is a temple rebuilt in recent years on the east side of the village. The original structure of the village settlement is complete, with a large number of traditional dwellings built by rubble stone masonry, as well as objects carrying historical information such as teama stone, gate head, and stone pier. It is a typical traditional village in shallow mountainous areas of Jiaodong region. The village has a certain basis of tourism function. On weekends or in the flowering season, local residents of Weihai will come here for sightseeing. There are already some tourism supporting facilities in the village, but the scale is small, not systematic, and the space conditions are relatively poor, and the format of business is mainly farmhouse, lack of hierarchy and influence. Based on this situation, wang jiatuan hopes to organize existing resources, improve business forms, spatial quality and upgrade services. More importantly, through the shaping of space and architecture, the individuality and recognition of the village should be formed.

Changchun Culture & Ecology park, the former Changchun No. 1 Water Treatment Plant built during the Manchukuo Regime, is a design and operation project of urban regeneration related to the protection and transformation of industrial heritage, which has a history of water supply for eighty years in Changchun and rare ecological green space in urban hinterland with an area of 300,000 square meters.

“The Light of Buddha” is the first exhibition of a private collection ever allowed in the Palace Museum, commonly known as the Forbidden City. studio O was commissioned by Beijing-based Zhiguan Gallery (止观美术馆) to develop the exhibition design and retrofit installation system for the display of 112 antique Buddhist sculptures spanning from the 4^th  century a.d. to 16^th  a.d.  from the Himalayan regions (Pakistan, North India, Nepal, Tibet)

Start—History and Future of Shaoxing Hotel
Shaoxing Hotel originating from “Lingxiao Pavilion” is made up of very traditional architectural complexes with white walls, black tiles, winding corridors, bridges over flowing water, and well-spaced flowers and trees, full of the features of Jiangnan dwelling. It went through many times of reconstruction and upgrading over the past 60 years. Now, its complex style shows a trend of diversification.