Architect Jimenez Lai developed an innovative concept called Micro Cities for Family Life. This approach isolates family-specific functions into nine distinct structures, serving as a survey method to explore the fundamental elements of residential typologies. Although each structure differs, together they form a cohesive micro-city model that can also function as a unique reception space for the homeowner.
↑ Each independent mini house stands out like a small city within a family life project. This installation was showcased at the Taiwan Pavilion during the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, inviting visitors to stroll through a vibrant collection of miniature buildings, including the “Sleep Room,” “Social Dining Room,” “Stool Room,” “Altar of Performance,” and “Garden of Secular Happiness.”
↑ The “Study Room” features a central TV screen mounted at the top, directing viewers’ attention upward. This project, named Super Furniture, explores and extends the boundaries between furniture and architecture. “Super Furniture” describes objects that are too large to be considered furniture but not quite as big as buildings. These pieces assert their uniqueness while remaining part of a cohesive family, sharing emotional and conceptual connections.
↑ The exhibition of these nine “Super Furniture” pieces took place at the Palazzo Prichioni in Venice, continuing the dialogue on the clear distinction between architectural function and formal expression. Jimenez Lai also led a BIM building verification team in Chicago called the “Exhibition Bureau,” aiming to push the limits of building functionality and expression. According to Lai, “Architectural design, especially throughout the 20th century, has become a highly specialized discipline. It influences both internal layouts and external appearances. Institutionalized architectural design has gradually established standards for buildings, such as enhancing privacy in residential spaces. Over the past 150 years, our civilization has adapted to new standards concerning family function composition.”
↑ On the left is the “Alchemy Room.” Through the expressive forms of these exhibits, the standardized family functional layout gains new vitality, allowing space, function, and experiential qualities of family life to be reinterpreted. For example, the “Stool Room” reflects the individual’s desire for solitude within an internalized space, where one can observe the outside world through small openings.
↑ The “Temple of Appearance” features a suspended unusable cube containing a small piano, aligning with the overall theme of the 2014 Biennale: “Basic Rules.” This theme, along with “Fundamentals” and the National Exhibition Halls, explores the concept of absorbing modernity. Lai remarked, “Family life may be the most fundamental structure of architecture. On some level, we strive to establish a direct correlation between privacy and project design, embracing very modern ideas about project specificity.” The Taiwan Pavilion’s exhibition showcases an overall “Small Town” layout that breaks traditional programming norms, presenting various residential components that reflect the essence of privacy and its relationship with public space.
↑ On the right side, the elevated prototype building block represents the “Sleeping Room.”
↑ Social Dining Room: exposed to the surrounding environment.
↑ Social Dining Room
↑ Toilet Room
↑ Sleeping Room
↑ Entertainment House
↑ Workshop
↑ Alchemy Room (BIM Design)
↑ Temple of Appearance
↑ Study Room
↑ Secular Joy Garden
↑ Exhibition Plan
↑ Longitudinal Sectional View
↑ Horizontal Sectional View
Project Information
Architect: Jimenez Lai
Management: Design Team of the Art and Culture Department of Taiwan Museum: Joanna Grant, Felipe Oropeza, Kevin Pazik, Shun-Ping Liu, Jacob Comerci, Manon Brissaud-Frenk, Eugenia Macchia
Construction Record: Aaron Spiering, Jay Studer, Alexander Petrakos
Consultants: Wei Tseng, Nilton Huang
Writing: Johnson Liao
Image Design: Pentagram / Natasha Jean
Image Production: Matthew Messner
Collaboration Support: Graham Foundation
Sponsorship: Bank Sinopac
Photography: Iwan Baan
Translation: School of Architecture – Yunfei
*This article was written by Designboom and Design Bang, authorized for translation and editing by the School of Architecture. Please credit the source when reprinting.*
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