April's winner transforms a dilapidated warehouse into a shimmering cultural space that responds to its rural context.
Daipu Architects has been crowned April’s FRAME Awards winner for their innovative project, Streaming Light Exhibition Hall, which scored an impressive 8.96. The cultural space also nabbed an honourable mention in the category Material, with a score of 8.74. Located in the Chinese village of Caijiapo in Xi'an's Huyi District, the project transformed an abandoned kitchen and warehouse into an exhibition space as part of the Mangba Art Festival. The architects addressed practical challenges – including seasonal flooding – while introducing innovative design elements that respond to the local vernacular. ‘The overall form expression is both contemporary and integrated with the surrounding environment,’ noted April juror Wenke Lin.
Photo: Courtesy of Daipu Architects
Taking inspiration from wave-shaped tile elements in local buildings, the architects created a flowing facade using stainless-steel perforated panels that were prefabricated and assembled on-site in just two days. The carefully designed holes in these panels create varying visual effects: transparency, reflection and shadow generation. As visitors arrive at different times of day and with different weather conditions, the space shapeshifts. As jury member Monika Choudhary commented, the space is ‘poetic’ and transforms ‘heritage into a living cultural vessel’. Inside, the brick wall was removed to create a spacious environment, while the original kitchen chimney was preserved and reimagined as a skylight niche that doubles as a visitor seating area. Notable, of course, for its materials, Daipu Architects’ choices are ‘deliberate and cohesive’, according to judge Donald Strum.
Photo: Chen Hao
The Shuanjing Teahouse is ‘a very poetic way of building a bridge between the old traditions of tea-drinking and hospitality of the 21st century, through nuanced architecture and interiors,’ as Kaan Alpagut, design manager of workplace experience at The Lego Group put it. ZJJZ earned an honourable mention for Entertainment Venue, with a score of 8.75. The thoughtful renovation of a historic structure at the head of Shanqing Bridge in Liyang's Daibu Old Street centres around a floating staircase that functions as an independent ‘room’, creating unexpected ‘wild spaces’ that challenge traditional spatial patterns. The space is authentic and original, transporting visitors between two worlds within one space.
Photo: Courtesy of Healing Pets
While there were a number of great entries in the Multi-Brand Store category, Informal Design’s project, Healing Pets, was a standout. Ending the month with an 8.71, the project demonstrates remarkable attention to the needs of both pets and their owners. Everything is considered: furniture has space beneath for small animals to find security, designs are suspended to minimize obstacles during play and tables are fixed for the easy anchoring of dog leashes. As April juror Sabine de Schutter said, ‘The overall attention to detail adds a layer of refinement to the project.’ Materials including washed stone, gravel concrete and marine plywood create non-slip surfaces for pets while offering durability and stain resistance.
Photo: Kenta Hasegawa, OFP Co., Ltd.
Good things come in small packages. This is especially true with the honourable mention in the category of Small Office. Nekoyacho Building, designed by Suppose Design Office, rounds out this month’s nods with a score of 8.65. This self-initiated project in Hiroshima represents the architects' vision for a mixed-use facility that combines eating, working and relaxing. ‘A great bouquet of features under one roof,’ April judge Alexander Fehre said. Rather than fighting against the building's existing characteristics, the renovation embraces them – transforming original window frames into benches, repurposing middle sash windows as lighting fixtures and creating a rooftop sauna with a courtyard opening that allows visitors to experience the outside elements while remaining inside.
