21 Oct 2022
By the end of 2020, the two most significant typologies for everyday use as a society were abruptly shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. The home, as a place of life, and the office, as a place of work, were both reconsidered. Most global surveys indicate that more than 65% of people expect to work in a hybrid scenario moving forward. Accordingly, what synergies can be discovered in a new ecology between environmental, social, and cultural dimensions? The answer should be a living environment that actively transforms the modes of the office.
Former physical considerations taken into account for designing an office, such as the number of workers, frequency of guest visits, or amount of meeting rooms, are now accompanied by discussions surrounding office culture and intangible beliefs of the organization. Isolation in publicity and sharing the private have become new paradigms. Now, more than ever, an office needs to be a showcasing interface of dynamic business life where workers can also integrate the feeling of “being at home”, represented by a sense of safety, warmness, and inclusivity.
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Researchers have also pointed out how people want to spend time in green environments that are bright and receive enough sunlight throughout the entire workday. This is mainly driven by two key factors: the desire for improvement in the quality of life caused by a natural concern for health safety, and a proven link to physical and mental health benefits. Spaces with more than one side featuring light exposure provide better ventilation, and the sun is present for longer hours, allowing for a better greenery atmosphere which will revitalize the sense of gathering and relaxation.
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Taking all of this into account, Crossboundaries started dreaming of a future typology that could fluctuate and adapt to a variety of rapidly changing scenarios. While some design factors were open for reconsideration - size, atmosphere, occupation, and communication strategies - the workspace location remains intentionally unchanged. The company has been deeply rooted in the same Sanlitun neighbourhood after years of combining the studio with socially engaging events and lectures for the community. Therefore, the commitment to this Beijing area prevailed.
Located on the top floor of a five-story educational institution that had already undergone several renovations, the office was a relatively new add-on steel structure attached to the concrete skeleton of the building. This provided an almost 360-degree view and exposure to North, South, and East that assures sunlight throughout the day. However, the previous layout of private offices had to be removed to introduce a richer and more vivid open plan more in sync with our creative practice. Formerly based in an industrial space, the renewed office should reconnect with nature and greenery as a way of addressing global requests for greater care and well-being. However, the users were not the only agents taken into account: cycles and rhythms of the architectural building, its urban surroundings, and even the furniture and logistics that the architectural practice needs to operate with were all factors to work with.
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Faced with the challenges of the prohibition on welding, hanging, or attaching new elements to the existing roof structure and all external walls, the design becomes very effective in satisfying Crossboundaries’ company needs, while articulating the 300 m2 space with very few elements, thus committing to minimum intervention. Particular attention was given to each construction detail, mainly resorting to customized metal connections for achieving creative solutions within the limitations explained by the building’s management.
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To maximize organization, a functional strip offers separated meeting rooms, a kitchen, storage, and rest areas that are included in a former repurposed mezzanine level. These rooms are physically separated with a semi-transparent, double-layered wall made from polycarbonate corrugated panels. The West wall is the only continuous solid wall without windows, which accommodates a vast hang shelving that includes the material and reference library, together with a selection of models and a Crossboundaries Award display.
The main space is fluent and continuous, shaped by a lightweight curtain structure that functions as an island and connects the invariable working stations with a central multifunctional space. The latter is a leisure area focused on providing different scenarios beyond the regular work day: the loose furniture can be re-arranged and separated acoustically to meet the various requirements of the space over time. Additionally, the carpet design follows the curtain rail to further reinforce this zoning concept and entice users to explore the flexibility of the area. More than five activities and meetings – both formal and informal - can take place at the same time, providing a specific atmosphere for each communication process.
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This multifunctional space is supported by an inherited colour palette from the previous office that had already become the corporate identity of Crossboundaries: a combination of grey and yellow elements and textures that bring focus and stimulation to the team. A number of inner vegetation islands were not to be left behind in the move, and they contribute to the layout by adding another colour while integrating natural elements inside the office. The plants sit on movable platforms, behaving like attractors around the office, each time in a different position.
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While the pandemic has brought radical transformations to the business itself, Crossboundaries believes that the design of office spaces must also undergo a forward-looking approach. This working platform has merged with a sense of domesticity, where the existing is revitalized and incorporated by reusing every piece of furniture and art piece that was once part of the former workplace – tables, chairs, curtains, lamps, shelves… - so that whenever socializing returns, Crossboundaries will continue to share their space and bring people together: “We try to run our office as a community centre”.
Technical sheet
Project name: Crossboundaries' transformable workplace
Location: Beijing, China
Usable area: 300 m2
Design period: Dec.-Jan. 2020-2021
Construction period: Dec. 2020 -February 2021
Completion date: February 2021
Architect: Crossboundaries, Beijing, China
Partners in charge: Binke Lenhardt, DONG Hao
Design team: Elena Gamez Miguelez
Construction Company: Beijing Yihao Building Decoration Design Engineering Co.,Ltd.
Photographers: BAI Yu
