Paris, with its layered historical fabric, exemplifies urban evolution. Designers in this richly textured city strive to create interventions that respect and transform its heritage. Yang Fei, Founder of Field Object Lab, uses the AI tool Midjourney to revitalize Parisian townhouses, blending bold, futuristic romanticism with historical elements.
This project features innovative juxtapositions of modern materials like metal, glass, and ETFE cushions. It explores a range of transformations, from smooth to parasitical, challenging conventional preservation methods. Yang Fei’s research critiques ‘facadism’ and advocates for a holistic approach to architectural authenticity, ensuring both interior and exterior conservation.
The project demonstrates a poetic approach to repurposing historical townhouses that no longer align with modern functionalities. The series of studies features innovative and striking juxtapositions that unapologetically reveal modern materials and technologies. These transformations employ an array of industrial raw materials, including metal, glass, ETFE cushions, and lightweight structural systems, to breathe new life into the old buildings.
Yang Fei, Founder of Field Object Lab
Although this series of studies boldly showcases industrial materials and contemporary design language, it also interprets subtle variations in form, creating an intriguing range from “smooth” approaches to “parasitical” methods. Furthermore, it deliberately adopts a foreign design language, challenging conventional preservation methods and suggesting new paradigms in architectural intervention.
Ibelieves this research presents a vision for urban renewal with astonishing realism. “With the power of AI, we can examine the aesthetics of adaptive reuse and its impact on urban environments from a more tangible perspective. The results are breathtaking, bringing fresh vitality to the city. This study also critiques the ‘facadism’ approach in architectural renovations, where only the facade is preserved while the interior is completely rebuilt, reducing complex historical structures to mere decorative shells. True architectural authenticity requires a more holistic approach, where both the interior and exterior are thoughtfully conserved, adapted, and expressed.” notes Yang Fei.
Yang Fei
