SPARK's beijing office is partitioned using metal-clad swivel doors

SPARK’s beijing office is partitioned using metal-clad swivel doors
photography by shu he

occupying 500 square meters on the second floor of a three story building, the liang dian design centre is home to SPARK’s new beijing office. within the volume, an annexed glass box had been added to the existing structure, allowing for the external brick façade to be experienced as an interior space.

the office occupies 500 square meters on the second floor of a three story building

the space is loosely zoned into a main work area, kitchen and gathering space, a large meeting area, a model making studio, and smaller meeting room. demolishing the window up stands of the existing brick façade gave way to a much desired permeability of the space. while alongside the main work space, a continuous wall of metal clad swivel doors allows for a playful and flexible configuration of ‘open and closed’.

the reception area

‘we looked at the present configuration of the space and decided to keep it uninterrupted while inserting our office program’, explains SPARK’s beijing director, jan felix clostermann.

‘the architecture profession fuels on idea exchange, so we sought to provide open collaborative spaces that are fun, where people want to be’, continues christian taeubert SPARK’s beijing director.

when open, the doors allow for fluid circulation

when shut, the metal panels catch subtle reflections of the surrounding office environment, becoming a 20 meter-long ‘wall of imagination’ that invites project teams to pin up and discuss their work. the model making room, themed as ‘the ply room’ is accessible via multiple routes through an extreme vertical space of what used to be a stairwell core. additionally, the flux of the reception area, meeting room and kitchen can be discontinued via floor to ceiling swivel doors whenever activities require it.

a continuous wall of metal clad swivel doors allows for playful and flexible configurations

when shut, the metal panels catch subtle reflections of the surrounding office environment

the primary work space

within the volume, an annexed glass box has been added to the existing structure

the flux of ancillary spaces can also be discontinued via floor to ceiling swivel doors

floor plan indicating the office layout

project info:

total gfa: 500 sqm
architecture: SPARK architects
project director: jan felix clostermann, christian taeubert
project architect: lin li
photography: shu he