Openwork terracotta brick walls can mark an arrival, delay a reveal or connect adjacent rooms, but the spatial idea and the constructed screen are two different decisions. “Poetic,” “fluid” and “boundary-blurring” may describe a designer’s intent; they do not identify the units, establish a load path or prove guard, fire, water or durability performance.
The four archive images below are identifiable as the public interior of ICON HOTEL in Shenzhen, China. A project publication supplied by TOMO Design describes three custom ceramic-brick screen walls in the lobby, completed in 2020. It identifies the project and design team but not the screen manufacturer, product code, unit dimensions, quantity, structural route or LOPO role. The project is therefore presented as an external spatial reference—not a LOPO supply case.
- Project
- ICON HOTEL
- Location
- Shenzhen, China
- Completion
- 2020
- Studio
- TOMO Design / TO ACC
- Main interior design
- Uno Chan, Ben Zhang and Xiao Fei
- Photography
- Jack Qin
- Published area
- 12,000 m² project area—not screen area
- Screen record
- Three custom ceramic-brick screen walls in the lobby
- LOPO role
- Not established by the available records
Begin with the spatial sequence, not the block pattern
A screen becomes meaningful through what happens before, beside and beyond it. For ICON HOTEL, TOMO describes a reconfigured lobby with raised zones, screens, glazing and furniture that reinterpret a multi-stage garden route. That is the design team’s account of this project; it is not an automatic result of openwork masonry.
Approach
Map the first view, walking direction, decision points and what should remain hidden, hinted at or fully visible.
Threshold
Define whether the screen marks entry, separates a queue, frames a café, protects a service zone or simply forms a visual background.
Pause
Locate seats, reception, art, signage and waiting areas so people are not placed against an unassessed wall or exposed support edge.
Destination
Coordinate the next doorway, route, counter or room so the screen helps orientation without obstructing required circulation or supervision.
Issue a plan sequence with numbered viewpoints and a longitudinal section through the approach. State the intended reveal at each point. This page does not prescribe an open-area percentage or a universal pattern; those belong to a separate light, view and porosity study.
Draw scale in plan and section around real occupants
A tall screen reads differently from the entrance, reception desk, a chair, a queue and a service route. Dimension its length, height, base, head and ends against standing and seated eye levels, accessible circulation, furniture clearances, doors, counters, artwork, cleaning equipment and staff operations. Apply the project’s governing accessibility and life-safety requirements; a photograph provides no compliant dimension.
Spatial-section review
- Show every screen face, end, return, opening, solid band and transition to another material.
- Locate occupied zones, circulation, queuing, furniture, art, counters, doors and escape routes on both sides.
- Mark base/head conditions, ceiling and floor interfaces, service penetrations and all zones accessible to touch or impact.
- Coordinate the intended view with signage, supervision, privacy and operational requirements without treating openness as automatic compliance.
- Record who owns each interface and who approves the spatial, structural, fire and maintenance decisions.
Freeze the product and assembly identity before detailing
“Openwork terracotta brick wall,” “ceramic-brick screen,” “jali block” and “perforated panel” are not interchangeable specifications. The ICON HOTEL source establishes a custom ceramic-brick screen concept but publishes no unit schedule or construction detail. Do not map it to a current catalogue item.
| Possible route | Identity to record | Assembly questions |
|---|---|---|
| Structural or self-supporting masonry screen | Fired-clay or other masonry unit, mortar, reinforcement/grout where designed, geometry and intended structural classification | Foundation/support, vertical and lateral load path, edges, movement, temporary stability, exposure, inspection and repair |
| Non-loadbearing masonry partition | Exact unit and mortar with declared use, dimensions/tolerances, mass and finish | Top/side restraint, deflection compatibility, openings, impact, movement, adjoining construction and services |
| Framed ceramic-screen assembly | Unit plus frame, clips/pins/rails, inserts and connection specification | Panel limits, support deformation, restraint, corrosion/exposure, tolerances, replacement and concealed inspection |
| Prefabricated screen panel | Factory build-up, facing units, backing/frame, inserts, joints and declared panel scope | Transport/lifting, connections, panel joints, fire/water route, factory/site quality control and replacement |
| Patterned facing on an opaque wall | Tile/slip or other facing and complete adhered/mechanical system | It may resemble openwork but cannot transmit views or air; substrate, bond/fixing, joints, movement and exposure remain separate |
The Brick Industry Association’s technical-note scope statement is a useful warning: its brick-masonry recommendations are written for fired-clay brick and may be inappropriate for concrete, unfired or merely similar-looking products. Confirm identity before borrowing any masonry guidance.
Make lateral support visible in the design process
An open wall still carries self-weight and can be subject to out-of-plane action, impact, support movement and construction loads. Establish the load path from every unit or panel to the supporting structure. Coordinate base, head, jambs, returns, intermediate restraint, reinforcement or frames, connections, tolerances, movement and the temporary sequence before aesthetic approval.
As one United States reference route, TMS 402/602-22 contains building-code requirements and specifications for masonry structures. It is not a universal detail and does not identify the ICON HOTEL assembly. Use the locally adopted code/standard, project actions and qualified structural design for the selected product and jurisdiction.
Support should not be hidden from the review simply because it is visually quiet. Include frames, anchors, ties, reinforcement zones, solid edge bands and required joints in the elevations, sections, mock-up and coordination model.
Treat guards, occupied edges and falling objects as explicit cases
A screen beside a level change is not automatically a guard. If it is intended to resist people, control openings or protect an edge, state that function and verify the complete wall, supports and connections under the governing rules. Review climbability, objects passing through, impact, accessible projections and the actual users without importing a generic opening or height dimension.
Where units, frames, artwork, lights or signs sit above or beside occupied space, assess detachment and falling-object consequences, restraint or redundancy where required, inspection access, damage triggers and safe replacement. Furniture placed close to a wall also changes contact and cleaning loads; coordinate rather than relying on a staged photograph.
Resolve water, fire, services and maintenance at every boundary
Water and exterior exposure
An interior precedent supplies no rain detail. For exterior or wet locations, design support, drainage, interfaces, wetting/freeze/salt exposure where relevant, compatible materials and safe drying for the actual assembly.
Fire and smoke
Openings do not prove a fire route. Coordinate material reaction, any required resistance, compartment boundaries, smoke control, cavity/fire stopping, egress, sprinklers/detection and penetrations with the project fire strategy.
Lighting and building services
Locate luminaires, outlets, sensors, sprinklers, grilles and signs with supports and access. Do not cut units or interrupt restraints late in construction to fit services.
Inspection and replacement
Define cleaning access, mortar/joint and connection inspections, crack or impact assessment, replaceable zones, dismantling sequence and labelled spare units from the accepted production.
A perforated wall may allow some light, view or air passage, but those observations do not establish ventilation, daylight, shading, privacy, acoustic, thermal, weather or fire performance. Each claimed function needs a defined metric, complete configuration, method and acceptance criterion.
Mock up the threshold as a room, not an isolated sample
- Storyboard the route. Mark approach, threshold, pause and destination viewpoints in plan and section.
- Freeze exact identity. Record unit, finish, dimensions/tolerances, batch/range, mortar or frame/fixings and intended assembly classification.
- Coordinate the load path. Add base, head, sides, intermediate support, movement, temporary stability and adjoining-structure tolerances.
- Build a full-scale bay. Include real joints/support visibility, an end or corner, base/head, adjacent finish, furniture or counter, lighting and a representative service.
- Walk and test it. Review the spatial sequence with operators and users; perform named structural, impact, water or other tests when the project requires them.
- Retain the controls. Keep signed samples, mock-up decisions, product/lot records, calculations, inspection hold points, as-builts and replacement stock.
The ICON HOTEL images can inform scale, layering and arrival-sequence discussions. They cannot approve a new project’s product, support, opening geometry, fire route or maintenance plan.
Require a traceable approval package
| Package item | Minimum record | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial brief | Plans, sections, numbered views, route/occupancy diagram, furniture, operations and accessibility/egress interfaces | Using “poetic” as a substitute for a coordinated room |
| Product schedule | Manufacturer, exact code, material/forming route, dimensions/tolerances, finish/range, batch and intended use | Mapping a photograph or generic jali label to an unknown unit |
| Assembly design | Support/load path, frames/reinforcement/connections, movement, interfaces, actions, calculations and responsible engineer | Treating an open pattern as self-supporting by default |
| Safety/fire/water matrix | Guard and impact case, falling-object assessment, fire/smoke route, exposure/drainage, services, access and local acceptance criteria | Transferring unit appearance into complete-system compliance |
| Mock-up and quality plan | Approved full-scale configuration, named tests, hold points, tolerances, concealed-work records, substitutions and nonconformance route | Approving only a loose sample while site details change |
| Handover | As-builts, product/lot log, inspections, cleaning/repair method, spare units and replacement sequence | Losing traceability after completion |
Turn the threshold concept into a coordinated screen brief
Share the plan sequence, screen elevations/sections, intended unit type, support conditions, occupied zones, exposure, fire strategy, quantity and governing standards. LOPO can review candidate fired-clay screen products and available product evidence; the architect, structural engineer and specialist designers remain responsible for the complete assembly and project compliance.