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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Milk Tea & Pearl Boxpark in London, England by Y A OMarch 27th, 2016 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Y A O East London architecture studio Y A O has designed a bubble tea shop which features an architectural optical illusion. Commissioned by Milk Tea & Pearl, the brief was simple – to provide a refreshing, memorable interior. The shop is located at Boxpark, a temporary shopping centre made from cargo containers, in the London borough of Hackney.  Image Courtesy © Y A O
 Image Courtesy © Y A O Design The guiding vision for the shop has been a design response to the physical constraints of the existing interior space – a long, narrow, tunnel-like cargo container in which the shop resides. As cargo containers were developed to improve efficiency in shipping rather than human occupation, the scale and proportions of these containers were therefore a major constrain which the design aimed to tackle.  Image Courtesy © Y A O  Image Courtesy © Y A O Referencing the Baroque where perspective tricks were deployed to make interiors to appear higher or deeper than reality, we reversed such strategy by using geometric lines and taking advantages of false perspective to make the space appear shallower and wider.  Image Courtesy © Y A O  Image Courtesy © Y A O We designed the space as two halves – the front half is an abstract, anamorphic ‘beach hut’ bounded by pastel blue timber slats and white timber decking, illuminated by carnival lights reminiscent of English pleasure piers; the rear half is a white box that is the tea bar, adorned with anamorphic yellow circles of varying sizes and a ‘beach towel’ which doubles as the shop menu. The two spaces overlap and when viewed from a centred vantage point, the optical illusion trick is revealed.  Image Courtesy © Y A O  Image Courtesy © Y A O Details The anamorphic installation was built in collaboration with Spanish artist Alberto Torres Hernandez. It was made possible by 3D mapping and painting using specialist fluorescent paint. The projected graphic contained not only the yellow ascending ‘bubbles’ but also the shop’s logo. The interior elements and services were carefully coordinated and positioned throughout as such that they do not obstruct the overall anamorphic effect.  Image Courtesy © Y A O All of the tables, stools, front counter and menu displays were designed specifically for the shop, and custom-built by east London based makers and fabricators. We worked closely with the fabricators on the design, detailing, joinery, and finishing of each element. At the front of the space wall mounted tables appearing to be growing from the blue stripes provide space for laptops whilst freeing up legroom. The anamorphic beach hut was made by standard timber components, precisely cut and fixed off-site before being assembled on site. The fit out & installation was split in three phases, each lasting just three days, allowing the shop to remain open during the weekends in between.  Image Courtesy © Y A O About Y A O Y A O is a young east London design practice comprised of a team of architects, artist, designer and maker. Established by Yaojen Chuang in 2014, who had exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, and was a former architect at Heatherwick studio and Tom Dixon. The studio aims to make unique projects happen through the cross- pollination between art and architecture.
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