UCCA Dune, Beidaihe
When the opportunity arose to buy a flat that was dated but in the North Point complex where she grew up, a make-up artist didn’t think twice.
WHAT IS IT? An art museum hidden beneath a sand dune. Programmed and managed by the Beijing contemporary art foundation UCCA, the museum is housed in a surreal succession of white concrete caves carved within a stretch of ocean dunes. The designers hope their project will raise questions about art, architecture and nature.
WHERE IS IT? At the Aranya Gold Coast Community, a seaside resort/residential area near Changli, in Hebei province’s Beidaihe district, northeast China. The 300kmorso trip from Beijing to this part of the Bohai Bay takes about four hours by car, but if you prefer to avoid the inevitably whiteknuckle experience, the train from the capital takes just 90 minutes, followed by a 20minute drive from Beidaihe station.
WHY SHOULD I TRAVEL SO FAR TO SEE ART?
Since there is no shortage of wild and wonderful art on show in Beijing itself, the canny curators plan to display a series of unusual works that will make the most of UCCA Dune’s unconventional architecture and natural setting. The inaugural exhibition, “After Nature”, runs until
April 4, presenting works by nine Chinese artists engaging with the natural world. Mountains, a specially commissioned piece by Yang Xinguang, features an undulation of low concrete hills set in the sands beyond the Dune.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SEE? UCCA Dune is the third unlikely yet beguiling beachside architectural landmark in the area. Close by are the Seashore Library – a minimalist, twostorey abstract structure with a reading room and unexpectedly serene interiors that became a viral sensation as the “loneliest library in the world” when it was unveiled in 2015 – and the Seashore Chapel, a tiny, steep pitchedroof structure. All are part of the Aranya Gold Coast’s cultural offerings.
I’M FINDING IT HARD TO IMAGINE ART IN CAVES …
Think of the Teletubbies’ rounded green hillside home in beautifully rendered minimalistic concrete. The 930 square metre singlestorey structure holds seven curvaceous indoor and three outdoor galleries. The designers, Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, say they wanted to protect the natural context, hence the buried form.
HOW DO VISITORS GET IN? Through a tunnel leading to a series of interconnected caves of varying formations. Some feature skylights that bathe the interiors in natural light while others have big curved windows facing the Bohai Sea. A spiral staircase leads up to an observation deck on the roof. The museum’s simple form belies the considerable effort that went into creating what’s described as an environmentally friendly building: geothermal energy is used; the building is cleverly insulated; and the deep eastfacing facade helps minimise heat gain. The contractors, their ranks drawn from local boatbuilding families, formed the curved concrete walls onsite using wood to create an unusual tactile texture.
WHAT’S NEXT? A causeway, to be built next year, will lead from the caves across the beach to a smaller oneroom, abstractlooking, semisubmerged gallery that will be reachable on foot only at low tide. At other times, a boat will be needed, making the trip out more like “a pilgrimage”. In this new space a single artwork will be exhibited.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW? Onsite is a cafe with a barista serving topnotch coffee from one of Beijing’s hippest coffee houses, He. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, although Dune still looks strikingly beautiful in the grey, smogridden winter light.
WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Entrance is 80 yuan (HK$90) or 50 yuan for students. ■
ADELE BRUNNER |
As far as home is concerned, makeup artist Fiona Jacob has come full circle. Six years ago, she returned to the same block of flats in North Point in which she grew up and where her mother and brother still live. When the opportunity arose to buy her own place in the complex, she and her husband, Ian, pounced on it even though the flat in question hadn’t been updated for 30 years.
“It was a disaster when we viewed it because it had been owned by successive landlords who hadn’t actually lived there and consequently hadn’t spent any money on it,” says Ian, an engineer from New Zealand. “Old pipes were leaking through to the neighbour’s property, windows had been bricked up, the bedrooms were dark and dingy, and there was only a tiny enclosed kitchen. What we now have as our balcony had been filled in illegally.”
The 1,690 sq ft flat is a shining example of advance planning. The couple trawled through magazines for ideas, distilling them down to design elements that ticked both aesthetic and practical boxes. Once they had worked things out conceptually, they enlisted architect Alfred Leung, of Universal Reliance.
Working closely with Ian, Leung took the place back to a shell. He made the guest bedroom/study smaller to enlarge two ensuite bathrooms, one of which is connected to the bedroom of the couple’s daughter,
Kira, now eight years old. Windows were unblocked and the illegal outer wall was removed, creating outdoor space. “Alfred and I were a great combination,” says Ian. “I knew what I wanted but he would tell me straight up whether it would work or not. He did all the detailing, which I would never have thought about, such as stainlesssteel trim around the door frames.”
It was Leung who came up with the idea for white panelling across one wall in the living room, to add texture and to disguise the entrance to the master bedroom. The only other door in the room celebrates
Hong Kong’s maritime association, with a porthole, which allows light through to the two other bedrooms.
Ian worked on the lights, power points and switches, using copper piping from Australia and electrical cable and switches from Germany, and installed carbon dioxide sensors that work with the airconditioning system to suck in fresh air if oxygen levels dip.
“You need to get [the electrical and plumbing plans] absolutely right or they cost a fortune to rectify,” Ian says. “You have to take into consideration the smallest details – even the height of light switches – to make everything practical.”
The couple’s other priority was to use every inch of space. Ian designed an imposing sliding front door, which resembles that of a bank vault. He also installed a false ceiling in the corridor that contains what is effectively a lined box – perfect for the storage of possessions that aren’t often needed. A glass window between the guest
bedroom and bathroom connects the two areas, making the latter feel larger and brighter.
Ian admits that the project was grossly over budget but he didn’t want to take any short cuts. The furniture, art and wallpaper were all bought specifically for the flat – the sole exception being the dining table, which Ian made years ago, after a trip to the Bauhaus Archive Museum of Design, in Berlin, Germany, inspired him to create something timeless.
Fiona’s father was a partner in a prominent architectural firm and her brother is an interior designer yet neither had the time to take on an extra project and they laughed when Ian said he would put himself in charge. The first time they saw the finished flat was on Christmas Day 2012, two weeks after the couple had moved in.
“My fatherinlaw just said, ‘It’s very good’,” laughs Ian. “That really was high praise indeed.”
To watch a video of Fiona and Ian Jacob’s
home, go to scmp.com/jacobhome.