The first DuPont™ Corian® Design Studio has just opened in Shanghai; a cool, white, futuristic and impressive space designed by Michael Young.

The concept was created to bring Eastern and Western cultures together, drawing from the rich history of Chinese art and building techniques and combining them with some ultra-modern technology.

First marketed as a high performance material for kitchen and bathroom worktops, Corian has now become a leading global brand and material used by architects, designers and companies for a much wider range of possibilities in design, architecture and furnishing - and Young's new showroom studio (and the incredible pieces therein) serves as an impressive demonstration of what can be done.

"Our collective vision was to build a creative workshop for building innovations, where designers can look, touch, and feel the energy Corian evokes,” said Mr. Thomas Schuler, President of DuPont Building Innovations.

Young says of the project;

“It was ironic that the Corian sample logo is a hexagon, our research into ancient building and construction lead us to similar mathematical constructions, combine this with our modern studio techniques and the machines developed especially for the project and we have a state of the art project."

Continuing:

"...An important feature of the project is the curved wall that pushes the latest 3D CNC technology to its limits with thousands of bricks assembling to make a fluid solid structure. The element is extended to some wall circles that explore the processes vertically out of solid piece and 3D translucent walls.

Frankly, the things I have done for this project are only possible here in Asia, we have had the machinery made to process this project; it will extend into Europe afterwards I hope, but for the present I would like to use it architecturally on a larger scale now.

The gallery is a walk-through experience and one of discovery; we have designed a new high speed train interior, a developing market in China and some contemporary bathrooms and kitchens, the interior will grow over the next six months with the introduction of several elements that will constantly change the visitors experience."