Mombasa Collage


Tongji Uni, Fall 2023
Mombasa, Kenya
Prof. Zhou Minghao
Individual Work

Located in Mombasa, Kenya, this hostel project explores the role of material collage in architectural design. In my earlier projects, I often combined materials intuitively, using contrasts in texture and tone to shape spatial atmospheres and express function. As the design developed, I sought to uncover the deeper logic behind this subconscious operation—asking how different material collages could be consciously organized as a design method in the future.

The project began with two lines of research: one focused on studying the material collage logic of existing buildings, and the other on understanding locally used materials in Mombasa. From this dual investigation, a personal design language gradually emerged. The resulting composition follows a clear principle of “light above, heavy below,” while allowing material mutations to occur at certain junctions influenced by circulation, program, user dynamics, and the relationship between public and private spaces. Every design decision—from structure to spatial sequence—was guided by materials.

As a hostel, the project aims to spark encounters between locals and travelers. Acting as a transitional space between the dense old town and the open ocean, it invites visitors to experience a sequence of spatial fragments—each defined by a distinct material collage—that together evoke a gradual shift in mood from the urban to the natural.