‘Super luxury’ homes and the world’s first ‘alien’ cinema: Lavish coffee table book presents out-of-this-world fantasy designs a visionary architect has made a reality
- Book Archiphantasy showcases more than 30 architectural masterpieces from Alexander Wong Architects
- The book has been written by Alexander Wong himself, who explains the thinking behind all of the designs
- Highlights include a cinema inspired by movie Alien and the black-and-white apartment of a film director
The world’s first ‘alien’ cinema, a ‘super-luxury’ home that mimics royal living and the breathtaking monochrome apartment of a film director.
Welcome to the world of ultra-glamorous architecture as featured in new coffee table book Archiphantasy (The Images Publishing Group), penned by prolific architect Alexander Wong.
The weighty, lavish tome showcases more than 30 cinemas, private homes, shops and hotels that have been designed by his visionary Hong-Kong-based firm Alexander Wong Architects. For anyone with a yen for eye-catching designs – it’s a feast for the eyes.
The publisher says: ‘In this highly-anticipated monograph, Alexander Wong presents a selection of incisive essays on contemporary architecture and design concepts, along with a wide range of magnificently photographed works, including dynamic retail spaces, glamorous and unique residential interiors, futuristic cinema design, office spaces of the future, and so much more. Each project highlights how Wong combines the best of what Asia-Pacific has to offer in superior design with an abstract aesthetic, yet high attention to detail.’
Scroll down for MailOnline Travel’s pick of the eye-popping designs featured in the book.
CINEMA FUTURA, ZHONGSHAN, CHINA: This cinema has been dubbed ‘the world’s first alien cinema’. In the book, Wong explains that its design was inspired by classic sci-fi movies like Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Avatar. Pictured is the hallway that movie-goers pass through on their way to the 374-seat Chromosome Theatre
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CINEMA FUTURA, ZHONGSHAN, CHINA: This futuristic space is the washroom at Cinema Futura. There’s a blue hue to this image and blue light is plentiful throughout the cinema. In the book, Wong explains: ‘Blue is not limited to a color in the traditional sense like orange or purple, it is the frequency of void, of nothingness, of deep space within the universe. It could be interpreted as the symbol of space in abstraction and a color that represents the dematerialization of forms’
CINEMA FUTURA, ZHONGSHAN, CHINA: This image showcases one of Cinema Futura’s four screening rooms. The name of the room is The House of Green Amazon. Its sister rooms are ‘Blue Whale’, ‘Red Earth’ and ‘Purple Rain’
FUTURE AMAZON CINEMA, HUIZHOU, CHINA: This technicolour space is the foyer at the Future Amazon Cinema. Its official title is The Hall of Blue Butterflies and Golden Box Office. Wong explains that, in this area, ‘movie-goers will not only feel a return to the origin of life but also experience a journey in which everything is infused with futuristic fantasies inspired by the Amazon’
FUTURE AMAZON CINEMA, HUIZHOU, CHINA: This photograph displays one of the corridors at the Future Amazon cinema. In the book, Wong says: ‘Future Amazon symbolises the beginning of a groundbreaking cinema chain for the 21st century as well as the genesis of a film oasis with a surprisingly refreshing energy’
WHITE WINDSOR LUXURY HOME, JIANGSU, CHINA: Pictured is a home theatre in a luxury family home in eastern China. According to Wong, the objective in designing this home was to ‘create high or royal living in China, a kind of super luxury’. He continues: ‘With this intent, the design started with research on royal residences around the world in the hope of reinterpreting luxury living but with a slightly different narrative.’ Elsewhere in this house, there are four bedrooms, a bar, a wine area and a gym
FUTURISTIC EDEN CINEMA, SHENZHEN, CHINA: This image shows the Orchid Powder Rooms at this Imax cinema. According to Wong, this cinema ‘was conceived as a metaphor for Shenzhen, a “Futuristic Eden” that symbolises the most sophisticated and very best of future urban living, all in a city that’s going through a profound transformation’
HOUSE OF WHITE APARTMENT, HONG KONG: According to Wong, this property belongs to a ‘highly renowned film director’, although he gives away no names in the book. Wong explains that the space was designed so that it ‘could not hamper his creativity in any way or at any time’. This image shows the property’s eye-catching living room
HOUSE OF WHITE APARTMENT, HONG KONG: Wong explains that the result of the design is that ‘everywhere it just seems to glow’. He adds: ‘It is an amazing space to experience.’ Pictured is the sci-fi-style kitchen
HOUSE OF WHITE APARTMENT, HONG KONG: Here, the living room at The House of White is revealed from a different angle. To the right of the shot, behind the glass partition, is a comfy seating area called The Alcove
BEYOND FUTURE CINEMA, WUHAN, CHINA: According to Wong, a number of elements influenced the design of this cinema. These included the philosophies of Russian constructivism and Italian futurism, the sculptural works of artists like Russian Naum Gabo and Arik Levy from Tel Aviv, and the imagery from recent sci-fi movies like Ex Machina by Alex Garland
FUTURE WILD CINEMA, XINJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA: ‘Culture and customs in Xinjiang are not only colorful but incredibly heroic and wild,’ writes Wong. ‘Mustangs riding high on highland pastures; forests filled with majestic deer; wild rabbits on snow-capped mountains hunted by savage snow leopards. The design put these original and exciting elements to full use with a sci-fi twist to create a movie theater like no other’
CINEMA EXOTICA, SHANGHAI, CHINA: Cinema Exotica is inspired by the traditions and mythologies of the Arabian culture. Pictured is the bright VIP lounge. Wong says: ‘Colorful, vibrant, and hypnotic, the space is filled with sensuality and excitement’
GOLDEN EYE LUXURY HOUSE, JIANGSU, CHINA: This image displays the wine and cigar room in this three-storey, 4,700 sq ft (436 sq m) house. Wong explains that the design was strongly influenced by ‘European art house films such as the post-WWII Italy backdrop of Renzo e Luciana, the first episode in Mario Monicelli’s 1962 Italian classic Bocaccio ’70’
GOLDEN EYE LUXURY HOUSE, JIANGSU, CHINA: This opulent-looking space is the main living area at Golden Eye. It features a soaring ceiling and bronzed walls. ‘Entering the volume, one sees simple, espresso-hued curtains running from floor to ceiling,’ says Wong. ‘Turn around, however, and one sees something quite different. Layered L-shapes create a complex pattern, as does the asymmetric fireplace above which hangs a black-and-white image of a peony, referencing the proportional perfection and evolution of forms in nature’
GOLDEN EYE LUXURY HOUSE, JIANGSU, CHINA: Pictured is the master suite at Golden Eye. Through the glass wall in this image you can see the Golden Bathroom, with its freestanding bath
MURA FUTURA SUPERMARKET, HONG KONG: According to Wong, this supermarket caters for many Hong Kong urbanites’ fondness for Japanese foodstuffs like sushi, sashimi, wagyu beef and sake. Design-wise, it is laid out in a series of Japanese-style ‘village streets’. Pictured is the Ham and Cheese Pavilion. Other areas of the supermarket include the sake and wine arcade and the seafood section. The supermarket cost more than $4million (£2.8million) to build
AQUA FUTURA OFFICE RESTROOMS: ‘Office design has been subjected to a lot of innovative improvements in the past 100 years no less, but what about office hygiene, especially restrooms and toilets?’ asks Wong. ‘It seems time has finally arrived for a major revamp in changing the nature of office hygiene in a dramatic way with real innovations in design. Call this “Restroom Reinvention”, “Toilet Revolution”, or better still, why not call this “Aqua Futura”?’
SKY LIVING PENTHOUSE, HONG KONG: This elegant penthouse is located in the prestigious landmark Bel-Air Residence that was designed by British architect Norman Foster on Hong Kong’s south island. In this image of the main living area, a classical chandelier hangs above a Tulip Table and chairs designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. Elsewhere in the penthouse there is a wine studio, a sky lounge roof terrace and a bedroom that features a loft bed called The Ark
Archiphantasy by Alexander Wong is published by The Images Publishing Group and costs £60 ($85)
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