Yaqi Li

The given site is two railway arches in Coal Drops Yard, located right next to Regent Canal.

The arches and the opposite Camley Street Park make a beautiful coincidence - a striking framed green view. The existing materiality of Coal Drops Yard has a strong industrial, rough character. However, at the same time, there are soft, fluid moments around, created by the framed natural backdrop. These two different qualities contrast beautifully in Coal drops yard, and it is this that I would like to celebrate in my project.

(In the photo: my colleague talking to a passer-by)

Based on the brief of Matter Platform, I selected Ffern as the brand to use to develop my project. Ffern is a producer of small batch seasonal perfumes, which touched me by its central ethos: "seasonality".

Natual clay plaster made with perfume-making raw ingredient waste

In Matter Platform, we let materiality drive our designs.

It began with making abstract material assemblies, atmospheric snapshots of the material qualities that I wished to achieve in my spatial response. Natural, a bit rustic, the layered accumulation of time ... I explored material combinations responding to the changing seasonal tones. The initial trials lead my focus to this fundamental material - earth. While making the palettes, this crafted, layer by layer, natural earthy tone is always in the back of my mind. Earth is a reliable, eco-friendly construction material. It holds the traces of the human hands that shape it, speaking of craft and care. It comes from the ground, it is a material with a natural spirit embedded in it. The touch, colour and temperature recalls the experience of nature. It is the basis of everything that grows.

My thesis project is an aroma refreshment corner: a semi-public resting area where people can enjoy nature's fragrance.

The arches and the park beyond create a striking framed view, capturing nature's rhythms from the surroundings. And so, my spatial strategy is framing seasonality. On the ground floor, one arch is left open, a seat connects to the frame for people to sit down, rest and feel the moment. The adjoining arch accommodates a rammed earth facade that is perforated by Ffern's logo, so when the season changes, Ffern changes tone to match the the season. Using the existing small door as the main entrance, a corten steel ramp gently leads people to the underground resting area, which is seamlessly wash-finished with clay-lime. It also accommodates a consultation room where you can talk to Ffern staff, and an archive where all the seasonal perfumes of the past are stored. A narrow lift vertically links the underground space to a roof top area, where the journey ends with refreshment taken from the tea point and the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful view.

the Rammed Earth Facade

Seating Point with Lava Stone Sending Out Aroma

Originally from China, I am a designer practising in interiors, exploring this thing called spatial art. Before entering the RCA, I obtained my undergraduate degree in theatre design at Shanghai Theatre Academy.

I celebrate the magic of thinking through making, and hold a stubborn belief in substance and detail. My design work is built on the enjoyment of digging out the extraordinary stories from ordinary places, objects, and individuals, which may come from my time practising in theatre.

In my practice, materiality is always one of the keys. The concern of physical matters gives me a sensibility of the existing environment, prompting me to start conversations with the surrounding. Working with materials allows me to capture the atmospheric sensations of space while also requires me to come up with a solid solution for how to craft it out. It is something beautiful that comes from the world, and can be utilised back to build it better.

Framing Seasonality is a project inspired by a small batch seasonal perfume called Ffern. It is an "aroma refreshment corner" - a semi-public resting area with a pleasant smell.

The project seeks to accommodate the ethos of seasonality in the design. Taking advantage of the existing natural condition of the site, the spatial strategy is to use "frame" as a key gesture, capturing seasonal rhythm from the surroundings. It is materialised by exploring various ways of using earth - rammed, plasered, baked... Earth is such a beautiful and eco-friendly material that comes from the ground, the source that nourishes the seasonal growing cycle.

This is a project that blurs the boundary between public facilities and commercial space. As a designer, what I try to curate here is not the brand's product but their ethos: seasonality, the celebration of the magical beauty of nature. It carries my intention of providing the community with some chances to really feel beautiful moments from nature, and then become aware of cherishing it.

Yaqi Li

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Royal College of Art