These origami-inspired Kirin dragons were created as an extension of the logo and brand of a recently completed, JA-designed project, Kirin. Reminiscent of a mobile, this piece brings the Kirin namesake into a three-dimensional reality.

Floating above the staircase that takes residents from the sky-lounge to the building’s rooftop amenity space, the Kirin beckon visitors to take to the sky and enjoy the view. Selected as the symbol for this new mixed-use development, the Kirin’s association with creativity and the arts help to tie the new residential building to Queen Anne’s Uptown Arts District. Strengthening Kirin’s connection to artistry, below-market rate housing inside the building was marketed to artists, a rotating art gallery in the lobby highlights local artists, and JA designed another permanent installation for the lobby ceiling, dubbed Digital Sky.

The installation was designed in digital software by JA designers using Rhino to model the dragons and Grasshopper to “unfold” the design, taking it from a digital concept to a two-dimensional geometry. Laser cut onto archival paper and assembled in JA’s Innovation Lab, the dragons range in size from 16” to 36” in diameter and serve to remind visitors of the neighborhood’s focus on the arts.

LOCATION Kirin
COMPLETED October 2021
MEDIUM Cardstock
DESIGNERS Shane Leaman, Jack Chaffin, Lu Zhang
PHOTOGRAPHY Rafael Soldi

RECOGNITION Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, January 2022