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CISHAN, a catering company with multiple brands, boasts an office on the top floor of a building in a business park near Xixi Wetland. The company prides itself on a low-key, restrained, serene, and rational atmosphere. Our design subtly reflects the brand ethos through thoughtful material selection, strategic spatial layouts, the interplay of solid and void spaces, seamless indoor-outdoor transitions, the integration of natural landscapes, and the display of antique furniture.

Work is a part of life, and in contemporary workspaces, a warm and homely ambiance is crucial. Beyond conventional office design, we integrate diversified spaces to meet various needs, partially domesticating the office space to make the daily work environment more comfortable and pleasant. We have divided space circulations into dynamic and static paths to accommodate public communication and internal office work.

The original building layout features a square and regular column grid structure. Our goal was to create an open office environment that seamlessly integrates with the external environment while maintaining areas of privacy. The overall spatial structure combines solid and void elements. We enclosed a relatively “solid” central island within the column grid to house small conference rooms, an open kitchen, and photocopying storage. This multi-functional central island serves as a transition between public and private spaces, separating the reception and communication area from the private office area. Partially exposed columns soften the enclosed volume of the central island, allowing the space to flow.

Adjacent to the central island is a landscape void space to enhance lighting, serving as another core element in the office. Leveraging the top-floor advantage, we designed a sunken courtyard with a skylight connecting the indoor space to the rooftop terrace. The courtyard features tree pits accommodating various plant root systems, enriching the landscape. From the “living room” reception area, the open kitchen, the internal office area, and the aisle leading to the bathroom, one can see this courtyard, feeling the outdoor atmosphere from the interior. The outdoor landscape and indoor space are independent yet intricately connected.

This natural area provides views, lighting, partitioning, and spatial transitions, while also connecting the open office space and the meeting room. To access the meeting room, one must pass through the courtyard via a transitional gray space corridor, offering a unique experience of moving from indoors to outdoors and back. The patio wall design ingeniously extends to the roof terrace, connecting upper and lower spaces while creating a courtyard landscape frame for the reception room, maintaining privacy. Internal company stairs lead to the rooftop terrace, a completely outdoor space. Instead of using ready-made outdoor furniture, we custom-cast concrete into a fireplace, low tables, seats, and tree pits, backed by steel plate retaining walls and embellished with greenery, creating a multifunctional outdoor area suitable for relaxation and work-related gatherings.

The entire office space features a ceiling-free design, exposing the original beam structure, with spotlights providing precise lighting where needed. Pendant lights in the open office area offer both upward and downward illumination, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Indoor materials are simple and restrained, primarily using wood, artistic paint, and self-leveling cement. The public area’s open kitchen and tea space are wrapped in black wood panels, with black-framed glass facing the open office space. The same wood panel material encloses the pipe shaft opposite the island, creating a semi-enclosed long bench space for resting, conversing, and interacting with the open kitchen. Window-side cabinets in the open office area also use black wood panels, integrated with office furniture, establishing a calm and restrained dialogue between different materials.

Soft elements in the space come from the owner’s antique furniture collection. The small stool and coffee table in the reception area, the tea table and chairs in the meeting room, the side table next to the light well corridor, and a Ming chair and a set of Chinese medicine drawers at the end of the open office area subtly balance the office’s rational and rigid elements. This combination of office space and antique furniture creates a Zen-like atmosphere, serene with a touch of warmth. Extending the company’s brand ethos, its restaurant ‘Shy Table’—which serves modern Sino-Western fusion cuisine—is located on the ground floor of the building. From the top-floor office to the ground-floor restaurant, the design consistently conveys the brand’s restrained and serene image and character, down to the finest details.

Design: STUDIO8 Architects
Chief Architects: Shirley Dong, Matteo Piotti, Andrea Maira
Photography: Sven Zhang