City: Nanxi, Taiwan
Stage Involved: Concept to construction
Year/ Status: 2024, completed
Accent Material: Raw metal material for foundry
Client: Aesop
Photo Credits: Aesop

Our site is located in a neighborhood where old and new coexist. There’s a mix of machinery stores, traditional snack shops, and trendy cafes, bookstores, and salons. But instead of conflicts, they coexist in tranquil harmony.
In search of inspiration, we explored this interesting neighborhood and encountered a Type Foundry that has been in operation since 1969. Over the past 50 years, Uncle Cheung, the owner of the foundry, has been making traditional Chinese type casting for printing, and he is the only master who still continues to work in this traditional craft industry in Taiwan.
He is extremely enthusiastic and enjoys sharing his experience and techniques with the younger generation. And he embraces the changes brought by the era, even as the need for this industry dwindles. He continues to cast type, not only to preserve the disappearing technique and culture but also to promote them to the public. He went on to explain the mix of raw materials (lead + antimony + tin), how the desk light helps him focus on his work, and the aged metal finishes of his 50-year-old workstation. The design was inspired by this encounter, and we would like to pay tribute to the beautiful craft and techniques of type casting. We adopted the raw materials for casting – a block mixed of lead, antimony, and tin – and transformed it to create a beautiful lamp shade over the main sink counter. It is visually stunning and captures the attention immediately as the first engagement of the store.