Bronze Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026
Pure Realm Residential
- A' Design Award 2026 Bronze Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Wei Hsiang Mao
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 6,743
- Verification code 44D7184329 · Verify this award
About Pure Realm Residential
Pure Realm is a residence designed for coexistence between people and pets. The home of 446.28 square meters unfolds around a central courtyard where a dog can roam safely. Separate front and rear volumes divide guest and family circulation, balancing privacy and openness. A double-height living room with expansive glazing brings in daylight and reduces the need for artificial light. A spiral staircase forms the vertical core, and covered walkways link the parking area to the residence. Steel structure, rice husk and mineral-based coatings lower the carbon footprint.
Wei Hsiang Mao's Pure Realm Residential embodies a contemporary architectural approach that honors spatial generosity and material restraint as foundational principles of residential design, situating the work within broader conversations about domestic space as a site for contemplation, material authenticity, and carefully calibrated relationships between interior volume and exterior landscape. The design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of proportion and scale, employing a double-height volume that amplifies spatial experience without sacrificing intimacy, a compositional achievement managed through strategic placement of the mezzanine plane which divides the vertical dimension while maintaining visual continuity across the full height. The structural expression reveals itself with quiet clarity through exposed timber beams and the commanding cylindrical column, elements that perform both pragmatic load-bearing functions and aesthetic roles as organizing figures within the spatial composition. The chromatic accomplishment lies in the restrained palette's ability to create warmth and visual interest through tonal variation and textural diversity rather than chromatic saturation, with the pale timber reading as honey in certain light conditions, the cylindrical column presenting a subtle blush that suggests handcrafted plaster or specialized finish, and the charcoal metal details providing necessary tonal anchoring without visual heaviness. Particularly successful passages include the seamless integration of the floor-to-ceiling glazing system which achieves structural transparency while maintaining thermal and acoustic performance, and the thoughtful detailing of the mezzanine balustrade where slender metal verticals and glass panels balance safety requirements with visual lightness. The interior invites consideration of dwelling as a practice of attention, where the carefully edited material vocabulary and open spatial organization suggest that the quality of daily life emerges not from accumulation but from thoughtful curation of essential elements and their relationships. The transparency toward the garden establishes a visual and philosophical connection to landscape traditions that understand cultivated nature as integral to domestic well-being, with the sculptural pines visible through the glazing serving as living artworks that shift with seasons and light conditions. The work seems to explore questions of openness and enclosure, examining how contemporary residential architecture might provide shelter and prospect simultaneously, creating spaces that feel both protected and expansive, grounded and elevated, intimate and generous. One might observe how the design negotiates between minimalist reduction and sensory richness, achieving restraint without austerity through careful attention to proportion, natural light choreography, and the inherent beauty of materials allowed to express their authentic character, ultimately inviting reflection on how domestic architecture shapes not just physical comfort but the patterns of attention, movement, and contemplation that constitute daily experience.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- -Steel structure: integrated with the atrium to frame a courtyard of natural symbiosis.
-Connecting walkway: links the parking area to the main residence, reducing inconvenience on rainy days.
-Double-height living room: expansive glazing introduces abundant daylight and creates vertical visual continuity.
-Spiral staircase: adds a sense of play and layered movement. - Dimensions & Packaging
- The project is 446.28 square meter.
- Tags
- Open layout, Natural materials, Wabi-sabi, Barrier-free flooring, Pet-friendly
- Production Technology
- -Steel structure: more recyclable and reusable than traditional reinforced concrete.
-Natural lighting: double-height spaces and expansive windows reduce the need for daytime artificial light.
-Low-processed materials: rice husk and mineral-based coatings lower the project’s carbon footprint. - Design Challenge
- Set on a lakeside plot with an irregular shape and a high proportion of unusable corners, the design faced challenges including:
-Designing circulation and road access
-Configuring building massing and setbacks
-Orienting windows while meeting regulatory constraints - Project Duration
- The project finished in November 2025 in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
- Operation Flow
- The architectural massing unfolds around a central courtyard, creating a surrounding layout. The front and rear volumes are separated, dividing domestic and guest circulation to create a buffer between privacy and openness. A double-height atrium and staircase form the vertical core, while covered walkways connect indoor and outdoor spaces, ensuring sheltered movement in all weather. With its clean, minimalist vocabulary, the design shapes a modern dwelling for coexistence.
-Privacy and circulation: a single primary axis separates guest access from family use.
-Massing configuration: setbacks and offsets allow flexible site utilization. - Research
- Due to the unusual shape of the site and its lakefront location, the project has a high proportion of uneven land. Planning challenges included overcoming access routes and road design issues. Furthermore, the key design challenges were to rationally allocate building massing, window orientations, and regulatory constraints.
With the goal of creating a coexistent space for pets and people, the design sought a safe and open atrium where the dog could roam freely, balancing convenience and privacy. Furthermore, the design sought a clearly defined public and private area within the home, allowing for a natural flow between entertaining friends and daily life without interfering with each other. - Inspiration
- This project is built on the core idea of coexistence between pets and people. The homeowner envisioned a safe, open courtyard where pet dogs could roam freely while privacy and everyday convenience were equally preserved. The space was designed to clearly distinguish between public and private domains, allowing daily living and social gatherings to flow naturally while remaining independent.