Architecture of Call Me By Fire's Dormitory | 披荆斩棘宿舍

Welcome back to another CallMeByFire blog post! Call Me By Fire, or 披荆斩棘 in Chinese is a reality show by MangoTV.

This program gathers male celebrities from various creative trades to collaborate in stage music performances, in the form of a friendly competition.

When Logistics Meet Architecture

Do you know? The filming took more than 12 weeks! So... where do the Call Me By FIre celebrities stay in the meantime?

Given the lengthy production, the participants (or Brothers, according to the show's jargon) are provided with a place to stay: the Call Me By Fire dormitory.

The dormitory looks like a chalet in the middle of a lake in Changsha, Hunan, China

The dormitory is where the Brothers rest and play. The formal content of the music program, such as the competition meetings and internal group training, takes place in a separate building:

The Call Me By Fire Corporate Centre houses a performance stage fit for 1000 audiences and its back-of-house ancillary facilities

I worked in the architecture industry and can I say... These buildings are gorgeous and worth studying. So much so that I designed one in a design game, House Flipper!

This blog post consolidated all the spam screenshots from Season 4, 2024. Enjoy!

Call Me By Fire Dormitory:

1. Exterior and Entrance

2. Living Room

3. Kitchen and Dining Area

4. Internal Courtyard

5. Corridor and Rooftop

6. Bedroom

7. Bathroom

Call Me By Fire's Corporate Centre:

1. Hall of Fame

2. Main Briefing Hall

3. Auditorium

4. Meeting Room

5. Training / Dance Room

6. Personal Interview Room

P/S Every room has its designated name. However, I'm keeping them generic due to limited English sources.

Exterior and Entrance

The rear elevation facing the river is painted in white and beige colours

Timber, beige and neutral colours establish the tone of the design. You could say the architect is going for a Japandi, and/or Zen style.

The entrance gate to Call Me By Fire dormitory

Upon entering the premises, the contestants are greeted by an open pathway that leads to the first public zone: the living room.

The brothers making their way to the living room

Living Room

The living room's usual furniture arrangement when there are no group events happening

Gaming nights or casual group activities are carried out here every two weeks. As such, the furniture will be oriented towards a focal point of the event.

Unencumbered floor space for group activities

Seating areas are demarcated by carpets

Simple colour palette of warm timber, orange, green, and neutral whites and greys

What I liked the most about the interior design was the variety of furniture selections. The Brothers could choose to sit on a sofa, armchair, stool, or even a bean bag!

This mix of furniture induces an informal atmosphere, allowing everyone to feel at home and therefore more interaction with one another.

Rustic decorations, for example timber crates, barrels, oil lamps and chest trunks

Do you know? This row of rustic decorations also acts as the boundary of the living room. Walk past this invisible line, and you'll arrive at the next public zone:

Kitchen and Dining Area

Below is how the living room transitions to the kitchen:

The buffer zone when transitioning from the living room to the kitchen

The kitchen and dining room can host over 30 people, making it ideal for cooking enthusiasts. Look at this ample food preparation counter space overlooking the dining area!

Ample of clear floor area for the 30+ occupants to mingle around

Notice how the colours and materials are continuous from the living room?

Different floor tiles draws the boundary between the kitchen and dining area

The kitchen has a timber door that leads to an external corridor:

The start of the external corridor is framed by the swings (left), pergola (top) and kitchen door (right)

Be sure to remember this circulation route, because this is the main spine of the dormitory! Looking at the screenshot above closely, this route is long and wide. Wide enough to form...

A Semi-Internal Courtyard

Due to the sheer amount of Call Me By Fire occupants, this dormitory needs adequate space for circulation.

Corridors are inevitable in large buildings, however, they don't have to be narrow and boring. The ground floor's primary "corridor", or the main spine, is a semi-internal courtyard.

The courtyard is designed to be multi-functional to promote more impromptu interactions.

Initiating activities via the use of pool table, seating areas and gym equipment

The best bit? This space is not merely dictated by loose furniture. Align them with the walls and you'll form a bigger indoor space for group events.

This is what good architecture is about: a space that adapts and grows with the user's needs!

Interior design tip: your furniture selection should reflect the intended ambience of the event.

Are you having an informal event where the crowd is expected to move about and be a bit rowdy? Go creative! Don't use conventional tables... Subtitle them with something else! A chest trunk, maybe?

Using lower tables and chairs also helped in breaking the institutional vibes

Speaking of institutional vibes, the courtyard is also large enough to conduct formal activities:

Proper dining table and chairs are prepared for group dinner

This is what the semi-internal courtyard looks like during the day:

Translucent roof to maximise natural daylight to the courtyard

If you're wondering about the giant alphabet "M" at the rear of the courtyard, below is a closer shot:

This tree bearing the competition's emblem is the focal point of the courtyard

See how the built environment seamlessly blends with Mother Nature? This is a perfect example of the collaboration of multiple creative disciplines: the integration of interior and landscape design!

This tree is equally magestic during the day

The intersection of circulation routes often presents design opportunities; classical buildings prioritise grand staircases for this specific reason. Does the architect treat it merely as a point to change directions... or as a feature node?

Taking advantage of walkway junctions to create mini courtyards

Nature is once again incorporated into the built environment using vegetation, gravel and stepping stones.

The colours and materials are also maintained throughout the dormitory. This is what design consistency is about!

Corridors and Roof Top

The corridor facing the lake has an interesting treatment:

A seating bench is installed instead of a handrail

Yup... There's almost no protection at this edge! I hope there's a safety net down there somewhere hahaha.

Adjacent to this "seat" railing is a metallic sunshading screen, painted in similar brown tones to blend into the overarching theme

The final common area of the dormitory is the rooftop:

There's a reason why people love roof top gardens and cafés!

Don't you just love the casual atmosphere up there? The timber deck floor, low tables and chairs, the farm-style decorations... everything!

We've covered all the public zones of the dormitory. Let's move on to the private spaces:

Bedrooms

Bedroom is... Well. You know what it is! Here's the pretty picture:

Dormitory number 6, consisting 6 double beds and an ensuite bathroom

And here's how these men(?) use it:

A "tidy" bedroom "fit" for A-tier celebrity status

I think using only mattresses (without the bed frames) is a clever space-saving method. This bespoke design also detached the dormitory's bedroom from a conventional hotel look:

Innovative double bunk bed design to lay multiple mattresses. Just ignore all the mess and men's den LOL

Different bedrooms have different numbers of beds. This is the design for those without the custom bunk beds:

The mattresses are perched an elevated platform, similar to the Japanese futon style

How about the toilet?

Uh... I would be mortified if there were cameras installed in the bathrooms LOL! I could only find *one* footage during the last day of the dormitory, so this is the crude screenshot:

Typical bathroom design

A quick tour of another bathroom clip can be viewed here (apparently Wix cannot share YouTube clips).

I think I've covered most of the rooms in their dormitory! Now let's move on to the next building, the corporate side of Call Me By Fire...

Hall of Fame

A competition is not a competition without a winner. All 30+ celebrities of Call Me By Fire are put through music group competitions on a bi-weekly basis.

The champion of each Round will be honoured by hanging their group portrait along a corridor. Something like Hollywood's Walk of Fame!

I believe the Brothers are made to walk through this Hall of Fame prior to entering the rest of the corporate building.

Simple corridor design utilising horizontal (shelves) and vertical elements (group portraits)

The purpose of this decorated walkway? Bragging rights hahaha.

Jokes aside, this is to inspire every contestant to break their comfort zone and outdo themselves in every Round.

Naughty celebrities messing with their team member's cardboard cutout

You could say this side of the corridor is the feature wall. Attentive details are added to frame each Round's winners, such as a specialised backdrop and dedicated halogen lights.

Main Briefing Hall

Ding ding ding... It's time to work! Sit back and relax for a briefing from the producers!

An open plan design allows the Brothers to see one another, as well as the show's host and large TV screen

Do you notice the floor design? Look how different materials and/or colours could make such a difference to any blank plane!

Here's the opposite view of the Briefing Hall:

All furniture faces the host lectern and TV for efficient communication

Below are the close-ups of the wall designs:

Wall panels in different sizes and shades of green and orange

Sports equipment on colourful wall panels

A lot is going on with those walls, yet simultaneously cohesive and complement each other well. What sorcery is this?!

Good design principles, that's why.

Firstly, complementary colours of orange and green. Secondly, sports equipment sizes are in proportion to their respective wall panels. Superb!

Here are some architectural questions to ponder:

Are walls constructed purely to separate one room from another? Are decorations solely meant to be pretty?

Let's see if you could find an answer from this screenshot:

One of the male celebrities are walking towards... where?!

Yup, that's right. It's a hidden door! This door leads to the Elimination Room, whose designs differ for every season.

Call Me By Fire Season 4's Elimination Room

Back to the Main Briefing Hall. Outside of briefing hours, the contestants use this place for meals:

Mixture of furniture types and colours to break the monotonous design

I love how the dormitory's aesthetics (concrete blocks, orange and green colour etc.) are carried forward to the corporate building. Great attention to detail!

This room also functions as the back-of-stage, allowing the celebrities to congregate and rest while waiting for their turn to perform:

Celebrities can watch the live performances and audiences through the large TV

Do you see the beige wall (with two horizontal mirrors) at the rear of the hall? That's not a wall... It's yet another hidden door! A sliding door!!!

Auditorium

This sliding door reveals a semi-formal auditorium. This room is usually used for music selection and bidding processes.

High ceiling and lack of furniture (fixed chairs) create a sense of openness and grandiose scale

You can see how easy it is to demarcate separate groupings. Just assign different colours to the cushions!

With the congregation done, let's now focus on the smaller teams!

Meeting Room

What will they be discussing about? Everything. From the roles of every performer and stage's conceptual design down to the logistics of training and follow-up schedule.

The Meeting Room adopts a flexible design strategy to cater to as many occupants as possible. Sometimes, this place needs to house 15+ users and music equipment!

The Meeting Room adopts a flexible design strategy to cater to as many users as possible

This is how spacious the meeting room is once we shift the table aside:

Another magic of design: different furniture arrangement dictates different spatial quality, therefore different functions and user group

Here's another great design tip: breaking the flatness of a wall by introducing protrusions and indents.

The wall panels and horizontal mirror created a 3D effect on the wall... And their depth is accentuated further by the strip lighting!

Large meeting table, comfortable chairs and TV contribute to higher work efficacy

The administrative part is done... Now let's get the creative muscles to work. Time for internal group training sessions!

Corridors

We've just covered one trick to address the plainness of walls. Another simpler method is to introduce wall decorations, such as a signage of the competition's name:

The corridor to Training Rooms has a skylight to invite natural light

Speaking of signage, here's a simple yet efficient design:

Less is more. A signage's design should never obstruct the readibility of its intended label

Training / Dance Rooms

There are several training rooms, all with an almost identical layout. The most crucial design consideration for a dance room is sufficient clear floor space:

Akin to the ballet classes, the dancers practice their choreography against a wall of mirrors

Some teams have up to 7 members, indicating the architect has to provide adequate space for everyone to move about freely and safely.

Sufficient floor space for performance props, such as the table

This is a music competition, so a "vocal corner" is imperative LOL. This area is populated by a keyboard and several microphones.

Every Training Room has a "vocal corner" and a breakout corner

This is my first time seeing a training room that also incorporates a breakout area! I love this idea a lot as the participants can hold internal group discussions here... Or even simply take a nap after wrapping up a session.

Personal Interview Room

Being a reality show, every participant will have a one-to-one interview... and people watch interviews for the interviewees (duhhh).

This implies the backdrop cannot be too distracting, because it'll only make the audience lose interest.

That said, the backdrop of Call Me By Fire interviews is almost minimalistic:

Simple backdrop design, showing the competition logo and decorative panels

Can I also point out that is a great shooting angle? He's such a gorgeous dude--*ahem ahem*--I mean, the cameraman understood the rule of thirds!

P/S Rule of thirds is a rule of thumb for composing visual images. The "canvas" is divided into 3x3 equal parts, and the focus should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

I managed to find a YouTube clip where the Brothers gave a brief tour of the corporate building. Enjoy!

Summary of Call Me By Fire Dormitory Design?

Space, Space, Space

Humans need space for comfort, efficiency, and safety. Even the logistics and technicals need space. Cameras need a certain distance and angle to film professionally. The filming crews need somewhere to sit behind the camera!

Positioning the camera strategically to ensure everyone is captured within the frame

Some architects tend to overdesign and overprovide, resulting in wasted spaces. I'm glad to say this project is safe from the trap.

Every square inch of Call Me By Fire dormitory seems to serve a purpose and is utilised well.

Design Theme and Colour Scheme

Although I couldn't pinpoint the exact design theme, it's evident that this project draws inspiration from the modern Japandi style, a fusion of traditional Japanese and Scandinavian styles.

Here's the summary of Call Me By Fire dormitory design:

Colours: earth tones (orange, brown), complementary beige, contrast green, neutral white and grey

Materials: timber, concrete, concrete blocks

Softscape/ Landscape: vegetation (potted plants, green walls), white pebbles, stepping stones

Summary of the design theme of Call Me By Fire dormitory

Cool, cool... What's Next?

If you're interested in the competition, be it the participants list or the music videos... Then the category tag CallMeByFire is just for you!

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day ahead!

Spoilers... this dormitory will be permanently demolished after this season. What?!

I'm not joking! This announcement was made at the end of Season 4's Episode 11. Even the program host was unaware of this. No explanations were given... and I couldn't understand why?!?! Someone please inform me if you've heard any further elaboration on this, thank you!!

Disclaimer:

Unless noted otherwise, all published media are screenshots of 披荆斩棘的哥哥 Call Me By Fire and China HunanTV Official Channel 湖南卫视芒果TV官方频道 YouTube channels. Please contact me should you wish to remove any of the published media.