Stainless steel, oak veneer, mineral coatings, terrazzo, deep gold fronts, self-leveling cement, clear glass

Long houses are a common form of traditional apartment building in Taiwan. The narrow and long configuration of the longhouse causes the light to come in from one side only, resulting in a dark and unlit space; this is the most difficult problem for this type of house to solve. Tseng Chih Hao, a designer from Degree Design, borrowed the concept of “entry” of ancient Chinese architecture to break through the original configuration of the longhouse, using transparent materials and brighter colors to allow the light to roam around the interior. At the same time, the distinction of spatial functions is also accomplished in the layered configuration of this “entry” concept, which seems ambiguous but has a clear distinction between the public and private spheres.

While the old and drab apartments are clustered in the streets and alleys of Guangfu South Road, one house painted in white modern colors stands out. However, upon closer inspection, we found that the traditional elements of the canopy shape have been preserved and hidden behind a sleek approach. The degree design, separate from the shared office, aims to mark and highlight the entrance from a cityscape perspective, without forgetting the echoes with the surrounding environment. The first step of the conceptual sequence is through the stone flower terrace, which serves as a buffer space: the warm sunlight penetrates through the canopy and diffuses on the eucalyptus treetops, while the free side of the semi-open space is nestled by the roadside, allowing people to watch the bustle of life on the street, while their activities in the space become a view of others' journey.

The second entrance to the venue is a meeting room where the design firm interacts frequently. Wooden sliding doors control the boundaries between the interior and exterior of the room, while fully translucent clear glass allows for a further layer of light to connect with the exterior space. The long, transparent tabletop is supported by two sleek, soft, semi-circular glass legs, which lightly eliminate the bulk of the room; the sliding doors, hidden within the wall, provide easy flexibility in the use of the space: when the doors are closed, it is a completely separate and undisturbed discussion room, while when the doors are opened, the back areas can be connected through movement and opened up into one. The office is located in the most quiet and secluded part of the building as the third entrance. The designer compared the layout of this case to the X-axis and Y-axis, which are divided vertically and horizontally along the invisible axis.

The dynamic lines are planned to the same side to minimize detours and maximize the use of the original long and narrow layout; the storage cabinets are placed in the fragmented space cut by the structural columns to eliminate the incongruity of the angles. The stainless steel metal panels extend from the display floor to the office desk, and their consistent materials and colors create a minimalist atmosphere; the chaotic electrical outlets are hidden underneath the panels, and objects of similar style and taste are placed on the floor, in order to simplify the space and visually enlarge this small space. 

The black or white of zero color is a clear symbol of function, while the gray that emerges from the fusion of the two is an ambiguous middle tone that weakens the boundaries and creates an independent and free field of activity. The material is completed in one piece, with a curved ceiling and Sky Light strip running from the entrance to the bottom. After the space is divided, a series of activities are linked by light and movement again. The office design concept is just like the name of Degree Design: to explore the beauty of space through the direction and angle brought by different media.

向度設計工作室

長屋，是台灣常見的傳統公寓建築形式，狹長型的配置導致採光只能從單側引入，空間昏暗不明亮是這類型房屋最不易解決的問題。向度設計的曾致豪設計師藉由似中國古建築合院「進」的層層遞進概念，突破了原有配置的限制，隨著材質透明度搭配顏色明度，讓光線悠遊於室內；機能的界定也在這樣的層級中油然而生，曖昧模糊卻又公私領域分明。

斑駁老舊的公寓林立而聚於光復南路的街道小巷中，一戶漆上白色現代色彩的房屋顯得格外突出，但在走近觀察後，發現傳統雨棚造型元素被保留下來，藏匿於俐落的手法後，從共享辦公室獨立出來的向度設計，希望在市容角度下能夠將門口意象畫上標記強顯出來，但也不忘考量與周遭環境的呼應。從作為緩衝空間的石頭漆花台步入概念序列的第一進，陽光煦煦穿透雨棚，漫射在尤加利葉樹梢上，空閑一方半開放黏著於馬路旁，觀看街上熙來攘往的生活景象之餘，空間內的活動也成為他人旅途的一景。

場所第二進是設計公司互動往來頻繁的會議室，木製拉門控制室內外的界線，藉著完全透光的清玻璃，招呼光源更進一層，連結起和外部空間的關係。圓滑柔軟的兩個半圓玻璃桌腳撐起透明長桌板，輕盈地抹淨了量體帶來的厚重感，隱藏於牆面內的拉門賦予場域輕鬆彈性的使用模式，門板拉上時，這裡是完全獨立不受干擾的討論間，推開拉門則透過動線銜接後端區域，開放整合成一體；辦公室位於最為安靜隱密的底端成為第三進，設計師比喻此案平面上的配置如同X軸及Y軸，沿著隱形的軸線垂直水平分割，動線規劃至同一側減少迂迴，最大化利用原始狹長格局，收納櫃體置於結構柱切出的細碎空間來消彌稜稜角角的不協調，不鏽鋼金屬面板從展示層延伸到辦公桌面，材料、用色一致帶來了簡約氛圍，面板底下藏設著凌亂的電線插座，層板上的擺設出風格品味相像的物件，為的就是將空間更加簡化，進而在視覺上放大這個小空間。

零彩度的非黑即白，即是機能明確的象徵；而二者融合中和後出現的灰色屬於曖昧不明的中間色調，弱化了界線，形塑獨立且自由的活動場域。材質一氣呵成，弧形天花伴隨Sky Light燈條從入口貫穿至底處，空間分割完後由光線、動線再次串聯起一系列活動。辦公室設計理念如同向度設計其名，透過不同介質帶來的方向跟角度去探索空間的美。