claudeverett 建筑大王

Cold

January 15, 2018September 17, 2020taoobjectart, 2014, think twice, sculpture

We made Cold to celebrate Yoko’s birthday. Yoko had been thinking for having a pinwheel for a long time. Therefore we decided to DIY some and put them together in a meaningful way.

It was just another autumn-like summer day in Valsassina, wet and chilly. A trembling character came into our mind. It was 冷 (lĕng), a Chinese character meaning cold in English. We made it out of pinwheels and put on the wall where strong wind arrives. In this way it materialized man’s sensation of ‘cold’ in an interactive way, and at the same time make the room even colder…

Cover Me!

January 7, 2018March 22, 2024yokoobject, researchproduct, diy, think twice, 2013, appropriation

Tao got an iPhone from his uncle ages ago. It ended the good old days of using his B&W NOKIA. Tao had thought to get a cover, but the price made him hesitant.

H.R.

January 19, 2018March 22, 2024taoimagegraphic, 2014, logo, canada

We designed the logo of a Canadian trading company belongs to Yoko’s old best and best old friend.

Primavera

ImageJanuary 15, 2018September 17, 2020taoimagegif, life, art, 2014, nature, italy, snow, valsassina

Rooming a Space

January 15, 2018March 22, 2024taoobject, researchpublic space, 2012, product, workshop, milan, research, user participation, communication, italy

In the limited time of site survey, architects collect information by observing, taking notes, sketching, photographing, taking video, talking to locals etc.. When they are back in the office, they make sense out of them, giving birth to reports, diagrams and site models. By then, the whole team get a good understanding of the site especially by looking at the site model talking about the site, away from the site.

strange wallpaper

ImageJanuary 6, 2018September 17, 2020yokoimage, researchgraphic, product, think twice, 2013, communication, new media, screen

Fú

January 19, 2018March 20, 2024taoimage2014, think twice, communication, competition, china, visual identity, logo

“What do you think you are looking at?” We asked friends and colleagues with the picture on the right. Paper-cut? Red envelope? Package for Spring Festival gift? Wedding invitation? None of them really got the answer we had expected to hear—the Chinese character Fú (福) on the door of every family, a traditional way of celebrating Spring Festival. We were shocked about this since we were so confident that nobody would misunderstood it. It urged us to review our design strategy completely, which brought us our second proposal. —Now, it would be good to talk about the things that happened prior to this very moment.

huǒ bàn 火伴

January 19, 2018March 19, 2024taoimage, researchgraphic, 2015, communication, beijing, visual identity, logo

Jin was Tao’s best friend in his childhood. Enrolment at different universities separated them into two cities, one on the north side of Yangtze River, the other one on the south. They were not far from each other in terms of distance, but the contact was almost lost.

Snow Mari

January 7, 2018March 18, 2024yokoobjectpublic space, art, 2014, nature, sculpture, snow, valsassina

At the starting point of the lovely cycling path stretching all the way from Pasturo to Taceno, there is a Mari.

A gull in river Lambro

ImageDecember 20, 2017March 18, 2024taoimagegraphic, bird, 2014, milan, italy

Lamp B

ImageJanuary 11, 2018March 18, 2024taoobjectproduct, diy, life, milan, 2011, italy, appropriation

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Lamp B, 2011

Lamp A

January 7, 2018March 18, 2024yokoobject2012, product, diy, milan, think twice, italy, appropriation

The second house we lived in Milan was a super tiny one, about just 20 m². Small as it was, everything had to go vertical: Washing machine on top of fridge; bed on top of a slab across bathroom and wardrobe, connected with the living room with a moveable wooden ladder; orange tile on top of bathroom, indicating you could sit there eating watermelon in summer; of course, you could lie or sit or put things on top of the wardrobe too.

Although it was so small, it had almost everything to support our life: except the fridge and the washing machine we talked before, there were a tiny balcony, a ceiling fan, an oven, a shower room, a bidet, and so on. We loved it.

It only lacked of a lamp.

Snow Cat

January 19, 2018March 18, 2024taoobjectanimal, 2012, diy, cat, art, milan, nature, sculpture, italy, snow

Snowing! We made a snow cat in 15 minutes before going to school.

A Morning Greeting

ImageJanuary 11, 2018March 22, 2024taospaceanimal, public space, 2012, garden, architecture

Door Garden

January 11, 2018March 18, 2024taoobjectexperiment, public space, product, diy, cat, garden, nature, italy, appropriation, 2010, plant

Our first home in Milan was the left one above, with a big door facing street directly. Functioning as both door and window, most of its surface was made of glass; concerning privacy, translucent glass was used.

Basket Bin

GalleryDecember 20, 2017March 18, 2024taoresearchexperiment, public space, 2012, milan, think twice, italy, polimi

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14/03/2012 Someone left a coffee cup in the basket of tao's bicycle.

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15/03/2012 We added a red plastic bag to attract more cups but got nothing at the end of the day.

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16/03/2012 We tried a professional looking blue plastic bag, still nothing.

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17/03/2012 We persuaded people by words, still doesn't work.

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29/03/2012 We went back to blue-bag-only solution, and the bag was taken away by someone!

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30/03/2012 And we finally got a coffee cup again!

Basket bin, Milano, 2012

Pausa Café

January 15, 2018September 17, 2020taoobjectpublic space, product, workshop, milan, think twice, interior, italy, appropriation, 2010, furniture

In response to the theme “re-appropriation” of MIAW 2010, we wanted to dig out some hidden values in the campus. In the building of architecture school, during breaks, people chat outside the classroom while lean against handrails, on which coffee cups or coke tins can always be found. People do it naturally. But the performance of handrail could be better. By just adding wooden boards, we found the potential of handrail lying in its width. Finally, it was proved to be highly welcomed.

Nuts Balcony

January 7, 2018March 18, 2024yokospacediy, life, garden, think twice, nature, interior, 2011, italy, appropriation

When we moved into our apartment in Milan, we were captured by the little balcony. It brought us fantastic view. However, the concrete floor surface was not in a good condition. We kept this in mind till we encountered a set of bed planks in IKEA.