A Bed For 500 People

Wei-Ke Cheng has designed a new form of architecture for a residential area in Reykjavik, Iceland, which houses 200 households and 500 residents. This project, called "A BED for 500," explores a collective living space devoid of architectural elements, providing an environment for the nomadic lifestyle of 500 people.

He breaks the concept and framework of traditional architectural graphics by using "coloured lines," employing these to express the structure's depth and realistic architectural colour design. He uses software to create simulation animations inside and outside the studio. He produces analysis diagrams, displaying different visual experiences and colour transitions, as well as the impact of day-night temperature changes on the facade colour of the building.

In his architectural exploration, "openness" should be defined by the conditions of the space itself or the use of the area, which is a more flexible and unrestricted space. Therefore, he adopted the "concept of subtraction" as the starting point of the design to define open space and openness. By subtracting or removing some parts from a complete physical volume, these subtracted or removed free organic spaces could become open spaces or open places while simultaneously redefining the concept of a room, no longer just defined by drawing boundaries for the so-called intermediate, virtual openness.

High-density PVC pipes are organized into relatively smooth surfaces, becoming places where people can walk, rest, and live. This structural design conveys a contrast from sparse to dense and a transition from a single space to a collective layout. The high degree of structural performance and material construction breaks the traditional concept of space setting, no longer having single rooms or partitions but discussing the idea of "total space" (treating openness as a room).