About Freewillisnotfree-Studio

Freewillisnotfree Studio was founded by Ning Yuhang in 2022.
He said design is selection, not creation.

With the help of biotechnology and computer algorithms, these religions will not only control our minute-by-minute existence. Therefore, they will be able to shape our bodies, brains and minds, and to create entire virtual worlds complete with hells and heavens. Being able to distinguish between fiction and reality and between religion and science will therefore become more difficult but more vital than ever before.

Freewillisnotfree Studio appears to embrace a balance between nature and modernity, creating products that evoke a sense of calm, simplicity, and connection to the environment. The Studio reflect an ethos of elegance through restraint, where every detail serves a purpose and every element is carefully considered to create a cohesive and refined visual experience. This is a design philosophy that seeks to elevate the everyday through beauty, minimalism, and a deep respect for nature.

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Senior-friendly Housing 2019

Senior-friendly Housing （2019） Handmade Model （2018）

My grandfather is attempting to have a home-based retirement. However, he has to walk with a cane, and he can not carry any heavy stuff because of one of his arms without strength. For him, a self-reliant life is hard and risky. This house design is my gift to my grandfather to help him fulfil his wish. Based on communication with him and my studies, I was trying to understand the world my grandfather lived in. Good design and discovery give me a sense of accomplishment. This was my first architectural space design study (completed in 2018), and it meant a lot to me.

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The National Gallery 2049-Manifesto

A declaration for the future of seeing, sensing, and being together.
1. Art Is Not a Commodity. It Is a Commons.

Gallery 2050 rejects the logic of endless acquisition.
We cultivate experiences, not inventories.
We prioritise access over ownership, dialogue over prestige.

2. The Building Must Breathe With the World.

Our architecture is ecologically accountable:
renewable materials, circular systems, and energy that leaves no scars.
The gallery is a living organism — porous, adaptive, reversible.

3. Technology Serves Meaning, Not Spectacle.

We embrace tools that deepen perception, not distract from it.
AI, AR, and immersive systems are used with intention,
turning visitors from scrolling consumers into conscious witnesses.

4. Slowness Is a Political Act.

In an age of acceleration, we defend the right to pause.
Silent rooms, contemplative pathways, and unhurried encounters
restore attention as a form of resistance.

5. Every Visitor Is a Co-Creator.

The gallery is not a stage but a laboratory.
Ideas are tested, remixed, challenged, and collectively evolved.
Expertise is shared, not gated.

6. Art Expands Beyond Walls.

We recognise landscapes, communities, and data streams
as legitimate spaces of creation.
The gallery extends into the city, the cloud, and the ecological world.

7. Diversity Is Structural, Not Decorative.

Representation is not a programming checkbox.
It is embedded in leadership, curation, partnerships, and process.
We commit to amplifying voices historically pushed to the margins.

8. Transparency Is Our Foundation.

We publish our environmental impact, labour practices,
and digital ethics openly.
Trust is not assumed; it is continually earned.

9. Education Is Co-Learning.

We teach by listening.
Workshops, research labs, and public forums dissolve the boundary
between “expert” and “audience.”

10. The Future Requires Imagination.

Gallery 2050 exists to cultivate radically hopeful thinking.
We champion works that confront ecological, social, and technological realities —
not with despair, but with visionary possibility.

Our Promise

We commit to being a sanctuary for curiosity,
a catalyst for collective intelligence,
and a steward of art that helps humanity navigate the unknown.

This is not just a gallery.
This is a prototype for a more conscious world.

Lakeside House, 2050 — A Living Gallery

Location, Bayannaoer City, China
Freewillisnotfree Studio
2025

The house sits at the edge of the water like a quiet thought, not dominating the landscape, but dissolving into it.
Its architecture is a study in transparency and calm.

Isokon Furniture

Location, Hackney, London

Exhibition Space
Freewillisnotfree Studio 2023

Introduction — The Isokon Way

In this exhibition, the Isokon story unfolds not as a chapter of design history, but as an ongoing experiment in how material, imagination, and modern life can intersect. At its core lies plywood — a humble, layered timber — elevated by Isokon into a medium of radical potential.

Here, plywood is not merely a surface or a substitute.
It is structured and strong due to its grain-crossing composition.
It is lightness: capable of spanning space with an almost effortless clarity.
It is flexibility: inviting curves, cantilevers, and forms that defy their own simplicity.

Isokon’s designers understood plywood as both an engineering solution and a poetic material. Their furniture and architectural work reveal how thin sheets can perform like beams, how softness can support weight, and how modest means can yield elegant outcomes.

This exhibition celebrates that philosophy — the belief that innovation emerges through constraint, and that materials, when truly understood, reveal new worlds. In the light, airy geometries of Isokon designs, we encounter a vision of modernism that remains startlingly fresh: functional, experimental, and endlessly humane.

Welcome to a space where plywood becomes a possibility.

Freewillisnotfree Studio Manifesto

We believe freedom is never loud.
It does not arrive through excess, spectacle, or control.
Freedom is quiet.
It is slow.
It is imperfect.

At freewillisnotfree, we design spaces not as objects to be admired, but as places to be inhabited by life, time, and emotion. We are drawn to what is unfinished, weathered, softened by light and use. We believe a mark of wear is not a flaw, but a record of existence.

We reject the anxiety of over-design.
We resist the pressure to be perfect.
We choose restraint—not as limitation, but as clarity.

Our spaces are built from silence, shadow, texture, and breath. Natural materials, muted colours, and gentle proportions shape them. We allow light to wander. We let time leave traces. We welcome asymmetry, neutrality, and stillness as living qualities.

Wabi-Sabi teaches us that impermanence is beautiful.
Minimalism teaches us that less can be enough.
Between these two philosophies, we find our language.

We design for those who are tired of noise.
For those who seek quiet strength.
For those who understand that true freedom is carefully crafted, not loudly declared.

Freewillisnotfree is not a promise of perfection.
It is an invitation to live gently, imperfectly, and honestly within space.

ISOKON - Modern Living in Wood

Location, Hackney, London
Isokon House (shop)
Freewillisnotfree Studio 2023

Experience a new standard of modern architecture, where precision meets warmth and innovation is carved directly into the fabric of everyday life.
Our latest Isokon-inspired residence reimagines the potential of wood, using advanced engineered timber to create a home that is strong, sustainable, and effortlessly refined.

With fluid lines, light-filled interiors, and a structural system that celebrates the natural intelligence of wood, this is architecture designed for the way we live tomorrow.
Minimal form, maximum efficiency, and a quiet beauty that grows richer with time.

Isokon — shaping the future through the elegance of simplicity.

Me-Me-Me

Paint by Ning Yuhang
London 2022

This image presents a visually intriguing, almost surreal composition that plays with perspective, narrative, and visual symbolism. The central figure, a woman dressed in white, appears to stand both within the room and reflected in the mirror, prompting the viewer to question the nature of reality and representation. The mirror serves as a dual symbol: on the one hand, it is a traditional device for self-reflection, on the other, it acts as a portal into a distorted reality.

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Sustainable Harmony

Farm & Hotel

Ning Yuhang
2019

This building embodies my vision of architecture as a living, breathing entity—an extension of the natural world rather than a disruption to it. I sought to design a structure that harmonises with the environment, using organic, fluid forms that evoke the natural shapes and patterns found in the earth. The soft, undulating curves of the building are inspired by the natural flow of water, the protective shelter of a nest, and the organic growth of plants. I wanted the design to feel as though it had grown from the landscape, seamlessly blending into its surroundings instead of imposing upon them.

The use of natural materials, such as wood, stone, and green roofs, is central to this concept. The earthy tones and textures of the materials create a sense of warmth and connection to the land, reinforcing the idea that architecture can be a part of the ecosystem rather than separate from it. I believe that buildings should not merely serve as shelters, but should actively contribute to the sustainability of the environment. The integration of green roofs, solar panels, and water management systems is a reflection of my commitment to creating spaces that are as environmentally responsible as they are functional.

In my view, architecture should be a response to the pressing challenges of our time—particularly the climate crisis. This building is more than just a place to stay or dine; it is a statement about the future of design. It asks us to rethink how we build, how we live, and how we relate to the world around us. To me, architecture has the power to heal, protect, and restore, and this design represents my attempt to contribute to that vision—creating spaces that nurture both the people who inhabit them and the planet we all share.

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