Architectural Cases

In the vibrant city of Lyon, an ambitious architectural endeavor named ARCADIA, conceptualized by UV Lab, is transforming the public sphere at Les SUBS. This wooden installation, a long-term project spanning from 2025 to 2027, transcends traditional static structures by offering an evolving, interactive environment. It ingeniously merges the classical notion of Arcadia—a pastoral ideal of harmony and collective gathering—with modern urban demands, aiming to cultivate a deeper connection between ecological principles, communal interaction, and civic spaces. Developed in partnership with students from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (ENSBA), ARCADIA acts as an inhabitable framework, featuring multiple levels, viewing platforms, and pathways, all designed to facilitate dynamic engagement rather than passive observation.

The installation's design deliberately avoids a single, fixed perspective. Instead, its intricate spatial arrangement reveals itself through movement and ascent, allowing visitors to experience shifting vistas of the Saône River and Fourvière hill. This journey through layered platforms and carefully placed openings highlights the interplay of light, shadow, and material textures, enriching the sensory experience of the immediate surroundings. Reaching approximately ten meters in height, ARCADIA's perception subtly alters with changes in proximity and ambient light, while strategic openings invite the natural elements—wind, sounds, and the hustle of public life—to become integral parts of the architectural narrative, thereby fostering a vibrant and permeable public realm.

ARCADIA is distinguished by its transformative nature, employing modular components that permit continuous assembly, modification, and reconfiguration throughout its three-year tenure. This inherent adaptability enables the installation to host a diverse array of activities, from performances and social gatherings to moments of quiet contemplation and spontaneous public use, without imposing a predetermined function. Through its flexible form and open-ended programming, ARCADIA champions a vision of public space as a fluid, shared ecosystem that is perpetually shaped by interaction, evolution, and mutual coexistence, embodying a forward-thinking approach to urban design and community building.

This innovative project stands as a testament to the power of collaborative design and adaptable urban interventions. By reimagining public spaces through dynamic, evolving structures, we can foster environments that not only serve the functional needs of a city but also inspire deeper social connections, environmental awareness, and a sense of shared ownership among its inhabitants. ARCADIA illuminates a path toward more responsive, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures, where architecture actively participates in the ongoing story of community life.

At Milan Design Week 2026, the artistic duo Jaemo Lee and Lisa Schober, through their project MEUW (Socius novus), introduced a captivating installation that redefines our understanding of companionship. Featured in HEAD-Genève's exhibition at the former Baggio Military Hospital in Milan, their work presented three soft, amphibian-like silicone creatures. These installations aimed to explore the essence of human-animal bonds and offered a new perspective on intimacy and co-existence without the traditional responsibilities associated with pet ownership. The interaction with these objects, which range in size and weight, provided a unique sensory experience, prompting contemplation on the nature of attachment and the potential for simulated companionship.

MEUW's Exhibition Challenges Perceptions of Pet Ownership

In the spring of 2026, within the historic confines of the abandoned Baggio Military Hospital in Milan, artists Jaemo Lee and Lisa Schober presented their innovative project, MEUW (Socius novus). This installation was a highlight of the HEAD-Genève’s Master in Interior Architecture (MAIA) group show, titled 'No One Sees Them Like We Do. Notes on Animal Interiors,' held during the celebrated Milan Design Week 2026. The exhibition featured three squishy, semi-translucent, amphibian-like figures, softly illuminated within a tile-lined room, evoking a sense of newfound discovery. These creations emerged from a course led by architect and professor Youri Kravtchenko, with assistance from David Valadomiu Ceballos and Marie Schild. The project was one of six that sought to generate diverse spatial narratives, using fables as a conceptual framework to reimagine the intricate relationships between humans, animals, and their environments. Lee and Schober's work specifically addressed the problematic aspects of the reptile pet industry, particularly the breeding and trading of leopard geckos, which often reduce living creatures to mere decorative or collectible items. Drawing inspiration from Carlo Mollino’s 1964 'Walking Dragon' and David Cronenberg’s film 'eXistenZ', MEUW's creators aimed to design companions that provide emotional connection without the complexities and ethical dilemmas of living animals. These objects, varying in size with the largest weighing nearly 12 kg, were crafted from colored silicone without any internal structure, allowing their texture, weight, and perceived cuteness to foster an immediate, haptic sense of intimacy. Visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to interact with these unique creatures, observing their movements and experiencing a profound sense of connection, thereby questioning whether intimacy can be simulated without dominance and exploring humanity's desire for connection amidst the challenges of coexisting with living beings. The manufacturing process involved designing various forms and sizes, utilizing sketching, 3D modeling, Grasshopper, and AI, followed by the creation of custom 3D-printed molds. Transparent silicone mixed with pigments was hand-cast into these molds within a tight 10-minute window before hardening. Extensive experimentation with hardness, textures, and colors ensured that the final products resonated deeply with visitors, inviting them to touch, hold, and care for these innovative pet surrogates.

The MEUW project by Jaemo Lee and Lisa Schober offers a compelling commentary on modern human desires for companionship, prompting us to critically evaluate our relationships with living creatures. By creating tactile, non-living companions, the artists encourage a dialogue about ethical pet ownership, the potential for simulated intimacy, and the profound longing for connection that drives human interaction with the natural world. This exhibition not only showcased innovative design but also served as a thought-provoking experiment on the boundaries of emotional attachment and the future of human-animal co-existence.