Q&A with Wu Yen Yen, Genome Architects: Design is the visualisation of values and positions

You’ve said before that you go through phases where you test different ideas in residential projects. What are examples of ideas you’ve tested and can you share how they turned out?

“There are some design ideas that fit and benefit certain projects and hence make it worthwhile to consider. For example, we have designed staircases that do not repeat in the same position on different floors, so that the relationship of floor to floor via the stairs changes the way people perceive and use the adjacent space. A staircase which spatially combines two floors, placed next to a kitchen, is different from when it is placed next to a balcony.”

“Another investigation that has been ongoing in our office is the development of monsoon windows for the tropics, where we are able to select and gradate between the extent of rain, wind, sun and security desired, beyond generic double layers of glass windows and louvers. Our windows try to address permutability and selection, so that, for example, you can leave the window open even when it rains, and are not afraid that an intruder can climb through the window at night.”