‘like being on a cloud’

 

asap undertook the design of a firm in beijing, ‘zhen fund’, creating a fairly typical office fit-out (as it was asked) adding joyful and dynamic touches that reflect the company’s character. instead of shaping a banal double-loaded corridor, the architects chose to form a series of glazed ‘bubbles’ with a plan derived from parabolas so that the contours of the space are constantly changing as the employees move through it. light and view refract dynamically among all the curved glasses, while bold-colored curtains add a layer of privacy and improve acoustics. the individual spaces seem to float, merging and separating, appearing and receding; a feeling like ‘being on a cloud’.a series of glazed 'bubbles' break the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing
all images courtesy of jonathan leijonhufvud

 

 

curved glass conference rooms are the zhen fund’s signature

 

asap (see more here) had to challenge the given U-shaped space, the requested number of various-sized conference rooms, and the ‘XL’ room with seating up to 100 people. the difficulty was to avoid interminable and dull corridors and to create a space to foster a sense of optimism and ambition. further, very free-form designs were not an option, because the program was fairly tight relative to the available space.

 

the curved glass conference rooms became the signature of this project, as this accomplishes several points.

these forms break the monotony of a long double-loaded corridor and add an immediately bold and visionary quality to the design, deriving from the shapes and the ever-changing reflections and refractions they created. meanwhile, the spaces created where the rooms meet — which could have been an awkward passing moment in a hallway — take shape as a gracious pocket of space that also lends itself to informal yet private side conversations.a series of glazed 'bubbles' break the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing

 

 

a new geometry: parabolas

 

relative to their competitors — who mostly have offices that vaguely resemble coffee shops — ‘zhen fund’ has become ‘the talk of the town’, a must-see space where people come to see the offices.​​ seeking opportunities for geometric exploration in their work, a lot of asap’s designs have explored spheres, ellipses, ovals, arches of various kinds, and bézier curves. in this project, they study a new geometry: parabolas.

 

‘we found that these not only worked well to accommodate the spatial requirements but also give the corridors the ‘bouncing tennis ball’ quality that makes them so pleasurable. contrasting this is a single giant circle which encapsulates the building’s core and serves as a unifying gesture that connects the disparate and distant elements of the program.’

a series of glazed 'bubbles' break the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing
glazed bubbles

a series of glazed 'bubbles' breaks the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing
a plan derived from parabolas

a series of glazed 'bubbles' breaks the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing
light and view refract dynamically among all the curved glasses

a series of glazed 'bubbles' breaks the monotony within a typical office fit-out in beijing
adding joyful and dynamic touches

 

 

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avoid shaping a banal double-loaded corridor
avoid shaping a banal double-loaded corridor
private and friendly environment
private and friendly environment
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project info:

 

name: zhen fund
designer: asap | adam sokol

location: beijing 

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina petridou | designboom