New Year 2019

96 With almost ten years’ experience in the industry, Atelier Alter is a pioneering inter- disciplinary practice based in New York and Beijing. Having awarded the firm Best Range of Creative Design Services – China in our 2018 Leading Designers Awards we profile it to find out more. Since their inception in 2009, Atelier Alter has accumulated numerous accolades, and has become renowned for creating truly spectacular projects through critical analysis of the site in question. From the very beginning the firm has focused their talents on creating innovative centres of cultural importance. As a result, in 2009, Atelier won the contract to build the Qujing Culture Center, utilising their considerable expertise to transfer the metaphysical context of the site into an artistic yet tangible urban space of historical remembrance. Another landmark project for the firm was the Senior Culture Center won by Atelier Alter in 2010 and completed in 2014, which transformed the typological transformation of a bamboo bungalow into a public facility. Other projects by Atelier Alter have been published and featured by global press outlets, including Domus, WA, A+A, Russian Design Hub, I’Arca International, Cooper Publishing, HKPIP, il Nuovo Cantiere, Landscape Design, Archdaily, and Designboom, among many others. Besides projects of cultural significance, the portfolio of Atelier Alter ranges from small scale furniture design to educational facilities and large urban scale projects. Whether it is architecture, or landscape design, the works of Atelier Alter strive for originality, challenging conventions. They manifest ideas that speak about humanity, about the very nature of design – always driving trends, rather than imitating them. Style Atelier Alter : Driving To Design The Future A core aspect of the firm’s work lies in their ability to understand the client, the brief and the site. Rather than letting the site dictate the design, Atelier Alter aims through the ‘conscious and sub-conscious’ desires of the site, making sure that the design remains true to the client brief, whilst taking the opportunity to do things differently. To create something that hasn’t been seen or experienced before. At times, the site aligns with the brief, and the team are able to synthesise the two and try to find the mutual ‘architectural language’. Other times, there is conflict between the site and the client’s brief, and the team utilise this conflict to come up with something tonally unique, drawing strength from the discord. In any case, a new architectural language is what Atelier Alter constantly strive for, and it is this that makes the firm’s work fundamentally different from other design studios – whether in China or around the world. Looking ahead, the future of the design industry looks set to be challenges by the rise of technology. However, in Atelier Alter’s opinion, AI could never substitute the human mind. On top of that, the age of AI and customization might deliver chances for innovative thinking. The original thoughts and ability to synthesize multidisciplinary issues are what sets human minds and computers apart. Having remained innovative and original, Atelier Alter aims to continue to embrace handcrafted solutions and personal service to ensure that it continues to succeed. Moreover, the team will continue to strive to create significant works that give space for people to reflect upon today’s society. Contact: Yuan Lv Address: RM1205 BLDG10, Jianwai, SOHO, Beijing, China Phone: 00 86 10 58699421 Website: http://atelieraltercn.com 1809LU19