In April 2020, only weeks into the global pandemic, Enter Projects Asia based in Thailand, received an unexpected phone enquiry from Waregem, outside Brussels, Belgium. The prospective client had a 300sqm mix-use project that needed ‘balance and calm’. EPA were given what felt like a ‘wellness’ brief for the space, inviting nature and creativity into an industrial setting. As the curtains came down on the world, EPA came up with a clear concept to meet the client brief.

▼夜景，exterior night view

▼外观夜景细部，

detailed night view from exterior

项目所在的场地曾是一座制冰工厂，因此，设计旨在延续泉水流动的概念，尽可能采用天然材料和可持续材料呈现出宛如纯净冰晶般的效果。为了能够在瓦雷赫姆九千多公里外泰国实现这一最终目标，一个高度创新的物流计划是必不可少的。

The site was an ice making factory so the design was to be fluid and liquid, like the properties of pure spring water crystallizing, incorporating raw and sustainable materials wherever possible. A highly innovative logistics program was essential if the vision was to be realized 9,000+km later at the final destination.

▼周边环境，surrounding environment

EPA团队为远程工作做好了充足的准备，所有会议以及远程场地勘查都依赖Zoom完成。项目经理身处日本，设计师分别位于普吉岛和悉尼，而制造商则在泰国北部，整个团队从未真正见过面，但是通过制作模板，交换数字文件等远程工作方式，最终成功地利用高可持续性的天然藤条，为远在比利时的建筑空间打造了一系列雕塑元素。

▼分析图，diagram

Relying heavily on Zoom for all client meetings & virtual site visits, the EPA team prepared for remote working. The Project Manager was operating out of Japan, the designers in Phuket & Sydney, the fabricators in Northern Thailand. The team never met. They remotely made templates, exchanged digital files and ultimately manufactured a series of sculptural elements in natural, sustainable rattan ready for Belgium.

▼项目概览，overall of the project

▼大厅雕塑部分，

the sculpture section in the hall

雕塑部分按照功能进行设计，具有照明、座位，导向标识三种不同功能的模块共同组成了一个高八米的巨型雕塑作品，点亮后的雕塑照亮了整个接待大厅，使空间氛围在此处达到高潮，同时也向公众展示出全新的品牌形象。作为在海外远程完成的作品，该项目提出了一种高度创新的物流战略：作品的每一部分都被数字化解构，因此可以以最佳的方式放入集装箱中进行运输。

The sculptural segments were designed in accordance with the functionality: lighting, seating and directional flow, all culminating in a large 8 meter high sculptural statement piece which illuminates the lobby and compliments the image of the brand. As an overseas project, we had to come up with a highly innovative logistics strategy: every segment was then digitally deconstructed , so the shipping containers could be optimally filled.

▼底层厨房空间中雕塑部分，

the sculpture section in the kitchen-dining on the ground floor

▼藤条编制的装置彰显出液体般的流动性，

the rattan system exudes a liquid-like fluidity

整个雕塑作品就如同3d拼图一样，需要在比利时现场组装，几乎没有任何容错的余地。“项目具有极高的完成度，其细节和精度令人难以置信，即使从远处看也是如此，”EPA总监Patrick Keane说道，“分别在两个不同大洲工作是一项艰巨的挑战，在另一个层面上，没有人知道彼此或确切地知道对方在做什么。在看到最终的结果前，整个项目都是一张白纸，然而我相信，最大和最好的挑战往往都是从零开始的。”

Like a 3d jigsaw, the segments were assembled on site in Belgium – with little to no room for error. “The detail and precision with which the client approached this task was incredible to witness, even from a distance”, remarks EPA Director, Patrick Keane. “Working across two continents always has its challenges” states Keane, “but this was on another level, nobody knew each other or exactly what the other was doing. It was a blank sheet of paper so given the result, I believe it’s the biggest and best challenge which often starts from zero”.

▼装置具有导向标识的作用，

the sculptural segments with function of directional flow

▼开放式办公区中的雕塑部分，

the sculpture section in working area

▼办公室雕塑部分，

the sculpture section in the office

他还严肃地指出，“该项目衍生出一系列副产品，让藤条工厂能够在最黑暗的日子里维持下去，当供应中断，商店关门，温饱成为问题的时候，本项目为众多工匠提供了工作的机会，并成为了他们的生命线，可以说，本项目通过支持藤编工厂的方式，确保了当地可持续工艺品生产能够延续下去。”

He also solemnly notes that “as a byproduct of this project, rattan factories were able to stay afloat during the darkest days: people were struggling to eat, supplies cut and shops closed. This project became a lifeline for many craftsmen who otherwise would have been without work. Maintaining these factories ensured local, sustainable arts & crafts production could continue”.

▼藤编座位，

seating area made by rattan

▼材质细部，

detail of the material

2022年4月，随着项目的完成，业主和建筑师终于在现场见面。在后疫情时代与经济体系中，这些不断变化的工作实践或许已经成为既定的未来，因此，我们需要学会适应，重新定义远距离办公的意义。本项目不仅是全新工作理念的实践先驱，同时也在工业环境中创造出具有创新精神与丰富想象力的工作空间。

In April 2022, with the project complete, the client & Architect finally met in person at the site. In a post pandemic economy these changing work practices have become the future as we learn to adapt, to reinvent what it means to lead from a distance. This project is not only a pioneer of the new work philosophy but also gives a new face to the factory as an innovative & creative workspace.

▼制作与安装过程，construction process

▼大厅部分安装过程，installation process of the sculpture

▼平面图，plan

▼剖面图，section

Location: waregem, belgium

Client: 528

Size: 300sqm

Photographer: edmund sumner