SAOLA ARCHITECTS

PHOTO: AKIRA SATO AND FRANCOIS HERVY

(For Thai, press here)

WHO
Saola Architects refers to the rarest large animals on earth. It is the sole species of a genus of bovids, and has been known to science only since 1992, The Saola is discovered in Laos and Vietnam, known as the asian unicorn.
The architecture studio is composed by Swiss and Lao Architects, Engineers, Craftsmen, and collaborates with artists and art historian.

WHAT
We develop projects at all scales of reflection. From the object, the building, group of buildings, the landscape and to the territory scale.

WHERE
Vientiane capital of Laos.

WHEN
The studio was formed in 2016.

WHY
For art and architecture, research and experimentation.

How would you define creativity?
A final product with creativity, it is a sum between cultures, experiences, sensibilities, research, etc. With a precise objectivity or not, it challenges the boundaries of the imaginary, the norms and the archetype with tangential answers, and with the aim of awakening the curiosity of the interlocutors.

Describe your practice in three words.
Contemporary – Minimalisme – Art

Where do you go, or what do you do when you get stuck on a project?
Working on another project and change subject or sleeping.

What project are you most proud of?
S.O.S “Sculpture Of Space”: It is a Family house renovation / transformation as an artist residency.
The reinterpretation of the family heritage proposes a personal reflection on a process of social and lifestyle transformation. The composition of open and closed spaces generates a new dynamic between the past and today’s world. It is an intergenerational dialogue translated into materials and spaces

The intervention is an opportunity to reconfigure the interaction between the surrounding buildings. By redesigning the spatial relationships, the intention is to restore the symbolic and native role of a family house in the center of the property as a place of life, reception, and welcome. It is also a multifunctional open space, a semi-public space to encourage meetings and exchanges and thus promote socio-cultural activities

If you could invite any creative out for coffee, who would you choose and why?
Mr. Kasimir Severinovitch Malevitch “Carré blanc sur fond blanc 1918”. Because with the work in painting on the theme of “the white square on white background”, raises the question about creativity. At the beginning there is a simple statement for a starting point, then an interpretation of it with a tangential answer as a guide to open the minds and perspectives.

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