AERIEDESIGN Office

AERIEDESIGN Office 

AERIEDESIGN

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

ARCHITECTS
AERIEDESIGN

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Kai Cui

CONSTRUCTION
Nanjing Zhumu Decoration Engineering Co.ltd

PHOTOGRAPHS
Emma

AREA
150 M²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Nanjing, China

CATEGORY
Offices Interiors

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

As an experienced practitioner of the design industry, we have always aspired to create a story.The office space should not only be a place for serious work, but also for a place for friendly mingling.

We were surprised to discover this old garment manufacturing factory in the deep recesses of a narrow alley in the Gulou District of Nanjing. She is ironically secluded within the well-trafficked downtown area.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

In shaping the spatial structure, we decided to fully respect the space’s nature to to integrate the space with the spirit of the neighborhood.

To capture the moment, we needed to balance the conflict between our space’s serenity against the cacophony of her surroundings. We wanted to preserve her façade and characteristic.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

When a a visitor takes the first step through the gate, it should seems as though transported through a portal to a different dimension – one that is the antithesis of one step prior.

Any passerby will be intrigued and pleased to discover such a portal to transport them to a calm world.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

As we delve further, we will see an almost completely open area integrated into the building’s bulk structure.

The floor and wall are monolithic – continuous and unified. Through the built-in difference in elevation in the floor, the space is conveniently delineated into different functional zones.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

One could be in an office with co-workers then within a few steps be drinking tea with friends around a fireplace – reminiscing the past and enjoying the present.

The structural support and beams retain the original appearance of the old civil construction, only for dust cover treatment.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

The outer layer of the building carries a long history, but we have given it new meaning, a tribute to the present of the decades-old factory building.

The central island bar and the floor are made of the same material,which is our interpretation of the power of nature.Functionally, the bar effectively connect the office areas on both side of the space, realizing efficient work communication .

As designers who grew up in the center of Nanjing, we have a special connection to this city. As Nanjing lies on the Yangtze river, we bridge this relationship by bringing a part of the Yangtze into our fish tank in the form of river stones.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA
AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA

The Yangtze river stones bring a deep red, inciting a heavy sense of age into the walls and present in the form of rammed earth wall.

The existing skylight has been repurposed to realize the interflow between indoor and outdoor so that the bamboo inside the space may thrive.

Simplicity is not to give up the attention to detail, but to focus on the minutiae. And thus end the story.

AERIEDESIGN Office
© EMMA


AERIEDESIGN Office
Diagram: sunken reception area
AERIEDESIGN Office
Plan


AERIEDESIGN Office
Sectional elevation
AERIEDESIGN Office
Sectional elevation


AERIEDESIGN Office
Diagram: gathering effect of the central bar
AERIEDESIGN Office
Diagram: placing in "box" office area


AERIEDESIGN Office
Original structure
AERIEDESIGN Office
Sectional elevation


AERIEDESIGN Office
Sectional elevation
AERIEDESIGN Office
Sectional elevation