AIM architecture creates vibrant shared office for SOHO 3Q in beijing

AIM architecture creates vibrant shared office for SOHO 3Q in beijing

shanghai-based architecture firm AIM was approached by chinese real estate developer SOHO with a unique challenge. given 25,000m² of empty space, the studio was tasked with transforming the existing mall into a hip, vibrant co-working office to serve as the first location of SOHO’s new ‘3Q’ brand.

main theatre
all images by jerry yin / courtesy of SOHO 3Q

a strategy was created placing bold at the top of the brief, and a variety of bright colors and funky patterns were chosen to add some life to the drab retail-oriented skeleton. AIM soon found that the constraints of the location’s former life could be manipulated into something better. a shopping centre corridor served as a perfect place for a co-op workspace island, and two massive atriums were repurposed to be the project’s primary focal points.

basement level entrance theatre 

in the first atrium, a colossal oak staircase spills from the ground-floor entrance into the basement. the element frames the lower level — with help from additional stairwells on either side — turning it into a venue ideal for lectures, events, or quick meetings and break time. the second skylight was re-imagined as ‘the park’, where more relaxed seating is accompanied by bamboo trees, a green textured floor, and close proximity to on-site eating. ‘3Q beijing’ accommodates more than 3,600 individual desks, effectively reclaiming the commercial space as a neighborhood for co-existence, collaboration, and multi-faceted interaction.  

the ‘park’ 

looking down on the ‘park’ atrium 

workspaces on ground-level  

the location has more than 3,600 desks available 

looking down from first floor into basement 

entrance

first floor relaxed meeting space 

basement open office 

second floor proximity meeting area 

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edited by: nick brink | designboom