Honorable Mention of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2026

Early Frost 

Interior

Interior

Completed / Built / Professional Category

Architect / Designer:

Lai Yang Chih

Studio:

EXISTENTIALISM ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

Country:

Taiwan

The project is conceived through a deconstructive spatial approach, using composition rather than enclosure as the primary tool to define space. By orchestrating displacement, interlocking, and tension between volumes and planar elements, the design establishes spatial boundaries and visual guidance without relying on conventional walls. Circulation is articulated through the relational positioning of architectural components, allowing movement to unfold as a sequence of spatial transitions rather than a linear path.
Instead of treating space as a static container, the project emphasizes spatial hierarchy and directionality through the interplay of mass, scale, and geometry. Overlapping planes and shifted volumes generate layered spatial conditions, enabling users to perceive depth, orientation, and spatial rhythm as they move through the environment. The boundaries between zones remain perceptible yet fluid, fostering continuity while maintaining functional clarity.
Light plays a central role as both a spatial and tectonic medium throughout the project. Beyond its atmospheric function, light is carefully introduced at multiple scales to articulate edges, intersections, and terminal points within the spatial composition. These moments of illumination highlight constructive logic, allowing joints, transitions, and structural relationships to become legible. Through the interaction of light with material and form, the architectural language is not merely seen but experienced and read.
As light conditions shift over time, the relationship between materials and structure is continuously reinterpreted, giving the space a restrained yet dynamic expression. The design avoids decorative gestures and instead returns to the essence of space-making, where proportion, composition, and light operate in dialogue to shape the overall experience.
The color strategy is intentionally restrained, with a grey and white palette serving as the primary backdrop. Accents of orange and deep brown are selectively introduced as visual anchors at key spatial nodes, providing moments of tension and orientation. This balance between neutrality and emphasis allows the space to maintain emotional depth and energy while preserving a calm and controlled architectural presence.

EXISTENTIALISM ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

Existence Architecture, established at the end of 2018, operates in both the architecture and interior design fields. Upholding a steadfast commitment to design, we define our existence as designers by creating spaces where spatiality, temporality, light, narrative context, and sensory experiences intertwine.

The existence of space is inherently complex, as is our perception of it. In this rapidly changing era, various aspects of space continually break through existing frameworks. We are eager to experiment with new materials, construction methods, and vocabularies to showcase the spirit of the times and the intent behind our designs.

We define our existence through our actions and choices; we define our existence as designers through our designs.