#Industry News
Naihan Li turns OMA’s “big pants” tower into a playful wardrobe
OMA’s famous “big pants” CCTV tower in Beijing is living up to its nickname in this playful take on famous architecture.
Chinese architect and designer Naihan Li transformed the trouser-like tower into a wardrobe as part of her I AM A MONUMENT series of functional furniture replicas of famous buildings. The wooden 1/100 scale model of the CCTV headquarters is impressively detailed with multiple drawers to let you store your pants inside the “big pants” building.
Originally unveiled in 2014, Naihan Li’s I AM A MONUMENT CCTV made its rounds again at this year’s La Triennale di Milano for the Milan Furniture Design Fair. Li drew inspiration for the piece from the Chinese desire for giant art installations in their homes. The 1:100 scale model of the CCTV tower is built from Brazilian rosewood and etched with grooves that mimic the building’s patterned facade. The different sides of the wardrobe open up to reveal a variety of storage compartments.
Li’s I AM A MONUMENT series also includes a bed bookcase built in the shape of the United Nations building in New York, a daybed crafted in the shape of the U.S. Pentagon building, and a miniature version of the Edinburgh Garden greenhouse. The series was inspired by the legend of a Han Dynasty emperor who commissioned a miniature replica of China’s entire landscape that used bonsai trees. “I Am A Monument takes landmarks and shrinks them down to something on a more personal scale, allowing for a reimagining of how we look at the world,” said Li.
