Macquarie R&D Center Offices – Beijing
CUN Design has created an inspiring and imaginative research & development center for robotics developer, Macquarie, located in Beijing, China.
Since 2016, CUN DESIGN has been trying to explore corporate workspace design in a wide range of areas, and so far has completed plenty of offices for companies involved in different fields, including games, new media, culture communication, internet, film and visual technology, real estate development, high-tech R&D, as well as cultural and creative industry, etc.
Based on practices in this regard, we put forward the concept of “Corporate Operation Space” and have been conducting further researches on it. As AI and intelligent machines constantly advancing and changing our life, we have been seeking for cooperation with companies engaged in this field.
Fortunately, MACQUARIE, a firm dedicated to research and development of robotic arms reached out to us to reimagine its R&D Centre. For us, it was a fantastic opportunity, though accompanied by challenges.
Learning from BMW’s design idea, we firstly rearranged the layout of the space. We made use of the unique features of the curved spaces and endowed them with the functions for conference and discussion.
And at the areas with more regular shapes, we split out several offices. At the middle of the overall space, we designed an open square working area, with the office furniture arranged in a modular way, which ensured a comfortable working space for the staff. Around this square working area, we restructured four necessary circular passageways. Each was given other different functions. It was from this core square area that the spatial layout of the office was completed.
For the narrow spaces left, we turned them into the foyer and corridors. And most importantly, we redesigned the circulation of entering the office. The space is enclosed and narrow at the entrance. But as going further in, it becomes more open, filled with surprises. We spent lots of time thinking about the plan, with a view to letting the daylight completely fall on each staff’s working position.
Besides, we also honored the source of the design inspiration – BMW’s electric motorcycle concept. The entire space features textures similar to that of mechanical design works, with translucent glass, gray metals, stainless steel and plastics, very modern.
At last, I integrated the orange light that I love the most into the space. Its position was not identified through careful calculation. It starts from the entrance, leads to all areas and runs through the whole space freely, creating a free atmosphere in the office.
We are gratified to draw inspirations from an excellent work from other design fields, and see it as a new approach for our interior design practices in the future.
The founder of MACQUARIE was very impressed by the orange light passing through the office, so the company utilized orange elements in their latest product. For us, it’s the best reward.
Designer:Â CUN Design
Design Team: Cui Shu, Wang Jizhou, Ma Chuan, Kong Weiqing, Zhao Ya
Photography: Wang Ting
