AS ABOVE SO BELOW by KHAA: Rethinking Steel as Poetic Architecture in Taiwan

The AS ABOVE SO BELOW project by KHAA (Kuo+Huang and Associates) stands as a bold, philosophical intervention in the evolving world of cultural architecture. Far beyond a simple exhibition of steel, this installation in Xihu, Taiwan, is a story of transformation—both of material perception and human interaction with space. Here, steel is reborn: not just as a structural necessity but as a poetic protagonist, bridging heaven and earth.

Rethinking Steel: From Industry to Poetics

Founded on a commission from a traditional Taiwanese steel enterprise, the AS ABOVE SO BELOW project sought to rewire public imagination regarding steel’s potential. Where many may perceive steel as heavy and unyielding—a totem of factories and bridges—KHAA envisioned lightness, fluidity, and even lyricism. The heart of the concept is transformation. Steel is sculpted into three distinct, small architectural compositions: installations that merge the rigor of engineering with the sensibility of art.​​

Each of these structures becomes a “gentle verse,” encouraging visitors to not only look but to touch, ascend, and linger. Rather than hiding away structural intricacies, the assembled joints, every thickness of a tread, and the embrace of handrails are on open display—inviting the public into the intimacy of building logic. This openness reflects a new transparency in design, turning architecture itself into an active, living classroom.

Engagement as Theater: Movement in Space

Set atop a platform 10 meters above the ground, the three structures each rise above a skylight, using the sun as a partner in the ongoing performance of light, shadow, and reflection. The number three, chosen for its poetic grouping, is not arbitrary; it conjures both constellation and community, a subtle gathering across the site.​​

Viewers are not just welcomed but required to engage—ascending and descending stairs that are less functional than theatrical. At every turn, bodies interact with proportions dictated by steel’s inherent logic. Moving through the installations, visitors perform, echoing the ancient Hermetic motto: “as above, so below.” In this choreography, what happens overhead in the celestial arrangement is cast downward, traced in footsteps and shifting perspectives. The stairs themselves become languages, inviting stories and explorations. On these staircases, every echo of motion is a dialogue between material and explorer.

Structure as Narrative: Design Details Revealed

Instead of concealing structural requirements, the designers have accentuated them. Every joint and millimeter of steel plate thickness is exposed, making the technical legible and beautiful. The design does not attempt to blur the boundary between art and engineering; it is committed to making that intersection visible and vital. This architectural honesty helps transform the visitor’s experience from passive observation to active understanding.​​

The three independent sculptures, facing one another, are like actors on a stage. Their white steel plating, reaching out from the stairways, creates a barely seen web—an invisible constellation above the observers. This subtle narrative unites disparate elements, revealing a hidden but accessible order just as constellations draw invisible lines between stars.​

Human Scale and Bodily Perception

At the core of this installation is the visitor’s body: the measure by which mechanics and spatial order are judged. Stairs are not only means to get from one level to another; they serve as prompts to awaken our sense of movement, balance, and touch. Platforms are not simply destinations; they are invitations to observe both the structure and its natural surroundings.

This concept transforms every footfall into a rhythmic element of the site’s “poem.” Our hands are drawn along railings sized by structural need, experiencing the work’s hidden logic. The interplay of climbing and descending shapes a new perceptual dialogue between individual experience and the larger field of architecture.

Expanding Perceptions, Creating Culture

Photography by OS Studio, 也行影像製作公司, and Olivier Marceny further documents this play of light, structure, and form. Images capture how the white steel, contextualized against sky and landscape, seems at once weightless and grounded—a fitting metaphor for the project’s ambitions.​​

AS ABOVE SO BELOW is more than a showcase for industrial prowess. It is a catalyst for cultural reconsideration—demonstrating how traditional materials can enable new ways of thinking about architecture, art, and society. Its installation in the heart of Taiwan signals a reclamation of making, where technology and poetry meet, and the steel that built the country’s infrastructure becomes the steel that uplifts its imagination.

All the Photographs are works of OS studio, 也行影像製作公司, Olivier Marceny