Linmon Pictures Headquarters – Shanghai

Firm
  • Client Linmon Pictures,
  • size 16,145 sqft
  • Year 2016
  • Location Shanghai, China,
  • Industry Film / Media / Publishing,
  • UStudies Architects has designed the new offices of Linmon Pictures located in Shanghai, China.

    Linmon Pictures is a rising star in China’s vibrant media industry. UStudies Architects designed Linmon’s first office in 2014, which is still in active use. But with the business booming, Linmon has quickly outgrown this initial space. It was against this backdrop that UStudies accepted its second commission by Linmon to design the client’s new headquarters of approximately 1,500 square meters which occupies the entire 28th floor in SOHO Fuxing Plaza – Block A in the trendy Xintiandi area in Shanghai. UStudies also undertook to design Linmon’s Beijing office located in the new Genesis Beijing project.

    UStudies’ design for Linmon’s new headquarters carries over the use of teak veneer and toughed glass (used for separation walls) from the client’s first office. Perforated aluminum panel and white painted glass are introduced, primarily for ceiling of the corridor surrounding the central traffic core and as wall finish. The anchoring light color palette creates a seamless transition from the elevator lobby into Linmon’s office space, while also creating a light-reflecting effect for the single-bay space outside the traffic core.

    The floor layout is anchored by the circular corridor surrounding the traffic core, with half the space as open office area and the other half for senior management offices and conference rooms. Two lounge areas serve as a link between the two sections. Teak in staggered patterns is used for both flooring and wall veneer to create a sense of intimacy and accessibility. Perforated aluminum panel with hidden lighting is installed on the ceiling of the circular corridor to guide tenants and visitors through the space. Lighting from the aluminum panel is reflected by the glass separation walls alongside the corridor for a dose of drama.

    UStudies’ design philosophy is to showcase the intrinsic energy of an architectural space, hinged upon profound appreciation of basic materials and meticulously effective handling of details. Over-decoration is keenly avoided, a symbol of the excess and irrationality of China’s architectural design industry in the past two decades. The industry is going through a transition along with the economic slow-down. The golden period of large new projects is a thing of the past, replaced by burgeoning demand for upgrade and transformation of existing space, especially in metropolitan cities like Shanghai. Sitting at the crossroad of the booming media industry and the transforming architectural design industry, Linmon’s new headquarters is an epitome of the efficiency, simplicity and openness pursued by the UStudies design team and echoed by Linmon’s corporate culture.

    Design: UStudies Architects
    Design Team: Xu Yijun, Fu Qiang, Xu Shijin, Luo Chengyu