CUN Design Offices – Beijing

CUN Design has tested the limits of their imaginations to transform an old factory building into their Beijing offices filled with the wonder, sophistication and story of the brainstorming process.

Firm
  • Client CUN Design,
  • size 7,534 sqft
  • Year 2018
  • Location Beijing, China,
  • Industry Design,
  • CUN Design have completed the design of their new office located in Beijing, China.

    Almost every designer has no complicity. Therefore, many of us attempt to experiment on our own offices with our whole imagination of aesthetics. Nevertheless, it is often the case that the person in question is distracted from reality. Eventually, the space is likely to be deviated from the original purpose and turned into a showroom out of brainstorming.

    In 2017, CUN Design found a creative industry park that was transformed from a decades-old factory. After rounds of discussions with all the teammates, they make their minds on a new studio there.

    The original space and the site boast the following features: 1. An excellent storey height. After roof restoration, more daylights are in the 2.The structure and partial exterior wall of old buildings. The reservation of old textures brings back the fading memory of those old days. 3. An integrated business complex. The 24-hour creative industry park does not include commercial operations, but also office area.

    Zones to execute the functional requirements of the project:

    Zone A – “Engine Area” Working section is most frequently used, so we arranged the best area in southern / northern part of this space to the working area and schematized it with smooth circulations.

    Zone B – “Elbow Area” It’s a brand new concept we’re talking to, where we can interact with business partners. Besides, it is arranged in the middle sector with independent entry and exit.

    Zone C – “Image Area” Since this area represents the company image and delivers its spirit to clients, it has been planned in a key area of ​​the overall space.

    Zone D – “Experiment Area” In order to maximize the efficiency of social time, a commercial area for relaxation and social intercourse is set up as an experiment field.

    Zone E – “Self Area” In this area, I shall always be the whole of me in tranquility and solitude. Without any interruption, designing should be the only company for me.

    We chose the area which enjoyed the most sunlight in the zone to be attained. The original brick walls were left untouched and only a shutter grille what added to the ceiling , The sunlight-oriented spatial design in this area makes the shutter capable of adjusting indoor light. In this section, we have hung a tree which is divided into two parts. Lighting was made on the ceiling and the lighting was removed. Besides, this suspended tree embodies designers’ contradiction between sense and sensibility.

    To realize the intended function of Zone B, we took advantage of the five-meter floor height to build a loft. In this way, we have two extra areas with nearly 300 square meters on the second floor. All of our cooperators can enter the second floor to communicate with designers through the separate doorway. For the convenience of negotiation, we also arrange small conference rooms and material sample areas. As for decoration, considering the height of the second floor is only 2,300mm, the ceiling design is even more crucial to integral visionary effects. We dug a patio leading up to the third floor and a mirror at the bottom of it. With the five-meter height of the patio and the reflection in the mirror, we are able to get a square space with a ten-meter visual extension. To help distinguish reality and virtuality, a sphere installation what to put inside the patio to generate mirroring and vividness. On the ceiling of the conference room, we placed a transparent fish pool. In this way, when daylight is cast on the pool, a beam of variegated light appears in the conference room, making the low space more lively.

    A staircase with panoramic mirror connects to the second floor and the first floor. The reflection of mirror together with the stair itself forms a V shape. Above the stair hangs a tyrannosaurus together with a flock of birds, creating a dreamy scenario. The staircase provides the best position for shooting pictures of the office. Since the staircase mainly serves as a channel, the decoration does not disturb quietness or affect office efficiency. In other words, Zone C embodies the temperament of the company.

    We built a bar on the first floor equipped with two removable tables. Sometimes we organize activities or gathering in the bar, saving time for traveling to other places. And during the day, we can host our guests and hold some investigative conferences with clients or large internal meetings there. For soft furnishing, we bought an old machine, a possible device used in industrial design in the past, from the previous owner of the factory, Carl Zeiss AG. Our colleagues therefore brought their personal belongings to the bar to make the place closer to us. Inside the small compartment, there is a round mirror on a cracked wall. Those cracks resemble the surface of the moon and are products of the break-and-restructure technique.

    I intentionally made my own small business so that I could do nothing but my design work there, thus promoting productivity. My desk was designed by myself. The front of the desk is a round table 1,100mm across, which allows a quick discussion of proposals among four people. At the backside of my office, there is a separate stairway leading to a tearoom downstairs. This newly-formed loft within the thirty-square-meter space satisfies my demand for personal creativity and reception. Kind of a treat for myself.

    A space of art is full of coldness. At the end of the decoration, we found many appropriate artworks to adorn the place. Those artworks are like intimate friends, igniting every corner.

    Interior DesignCUN Design
    Designers: Cui Shu, Wang Jizhou
    Installation & Display: Cui Shu, Miao Debao, Kong Weiqing 
    Contractor: Beijing Pingyizuo Design Consultation
    Photography: Su Tang, Wang Ting, Wang Jin