Office renovation featuring polycarbonate and wood partitions by Daipu Architects

Semi-translucent polycarbonate panels and wooden shelving systems create partitions in this office renovation for a television station in Hangzhou, China, by Daipu Architects (+ slideshow).

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Chinese studio Daipu Architects renovated the two-storey open-plan office to bring more light to the interior and inserted a system of shelving, cabinets and partitions to break up the different spaces.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Architect Dai Pu said he designed the interior layout to be similar to that of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, also using influence from the three-dimensional works of Italian artist Giorgio Morandi.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

“No regular partition walls (plaster wall or brick wall) have been built,” Pu said. “The new partition is composed of very light cabinet and one centimetre semi-transparent polycarbonate panel, while the furniture, stairs, handrails and bar counter all come up to constitute the partition system.”

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

The simple interior features polished white floors with wooden desks, chairs and shelving.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

A cafe, kitchen and a mixture of office spaces and meeting rooms make up the lower floor, with extra space for leisure activities including a ping pong and a football table.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

In the lobby, a curved plaster-clad staircase with wooden treads leads up to the first floor.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Two rooftop terraces used as interview spaces sit on either side of a large meeting room. The rest of the first floor is occupied with more desks, a corner reading room and another small room with beds for staff members to rest.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Photography is by Xia zhi.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Here’s a project description from Daipu Architects:


Office Renovation of CCTV Zhejiang Reporter Station

This office renovation is located in west of Ba Gua field, Hangzhou, China. The site possesses excellent landscape; however, it was dark and gloomy in the old building. The existing structure had a floor-height of 3.3 m for the ground floor, and the clear height below the beam is only 2.6m, which is comparatively depressing for open office. The height of the second floor was ok, however it did not have enough connection with the ground floor. The old structure layout could hardly exhibit advantage of a double-deck.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

So the first consideration was to build up a connection between 2 floors, the connection not only on physical space aspect, but also on psychological perception of people who will work here. People who will be working downstairs or upstairs could feel the existence of the other part of colleagues, thus to create an ambient of teamwork.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

A lot of attempts have been made. Finally the Barcelona Pavilion of Mies and the painting works of Morandi give a breakthrough. The work of Mies only offered the idea for the 2-dimensional design, whilst the approaches of Morandi were good examples for seeking the 3-dimensional solutions. In Morandi’s late works, the relations between the main object and the background and their colour relations were becoming assimilated and simplified; it can see that the boundaries of many objects merged into the background in many of his works.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

The approach is, if we take the furniture as the object, while taking the structural components like the walls and stairs as the canvas, then to make the object (furniture) merged into the canvas (structure), it can easily pass the perception of flowing to the people as the furniture is the very thing which most connected to the people. The space upstairs now is connected to the space downstairs due to this assimilated effect happened between the building structure and the furniture. In order to imply the space concept and work with the atmosphere, a few works of the Morandi’s paintings have been redrawn and placed in some particular corners.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

There is not any regular partition wall (plaster wall or brick wall) has been built. The new partition is composed of very light cabinet and 1cm semi-transparent polycarbonate panel. The furniture, stairs, handrails and bar counter all comes up to constitute the partition system.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

The prefabricated partition system saved the cost of on-site work, and it also avoided wet operation meanwhile it saved the time. The partition system, as the most important part of the construction had been put into furniture factory which has advanced equipments; this is also a solution to improve the perfection of construction here.

Office renovation by Daipu Architects

Location: Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Design Architect: Daipu Architects
Design Director: Dai Pu
Design Team: Dai pu, Luo yaqin, Wang tiantian
No. of floors: 2
Area: 640 sqm indoor, 147 sqm outdoor
Program: office, dubbing, duty, outdoor interview, leisure, storage
Client: China Central Television
Furniture manufacture: Hangzhou Runzhu Science & Technology Co. Ltd
Contractor: Zhejiang Sunshine Decoration Engineering Co. Ltd
Design: 2012.06 – 2012.09
Construction: 2012.09 – 2013.09

Ground floor plan of Office renovation by Daipu Architects
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Office renovation by Daipu Architects
First floor plan – click for larger image
Section of Office renovation by Daipu Architects
Section – click for larger image
Office renovation by Daipu Architects
Diagram showing insertion of partition system into the office

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Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Sloping exhibition rooms fold around curvy courtyards and a fish pond at this art gallery in Beijing – the first completed project by new studio Daipu Architects (+ slideshow).

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Tree Art Museum is located beside a main road in the Songzhuang arts district, so the architect wanted to create secluded spaces outside the gallery where artists and visitors can socialise. One large courtyard is inserted in front of the building, while a second is positioned at the back and a terrace ramps up over the roof.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Architect Dai Pu explains: “This project hopes to create a place where local people and visitors would communicate with nature, light, trees, water and contemporary art.”

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

A chunky concrete wall separates the entrance courtyard from the road. A sliced opening reveals it to be a corridor, offering an informal exhibition space on the way into the galleries.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Glazed curtain walls surround the courtyard facades of the building, bringing natural light into the two gallery floors and revealing the sloping floors.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

“I hope people might be attracted into the museum by the view at the entrance,” said Dai Pu. “Their eyes would follow the curvy floorslab coming from the ground all the way up to the roof.”

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Zigzagging ramps at one end of the building lead up from the ground to the rooftop terrace, which also accommodates four smaller patios.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Meeting rooms and offices are lined up along the rear of the building and face down onto the secondary courtyard.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Dai Pu previously worked for Beijing studio MAD, where he was project architect for Hutong Bubble 32, a bubble-shaped extension to a traditional Chinese courtyard house. Tree Art Museum is his first project since launching Daipu Architects.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Other new galleries in China include Jade Museum, located in a converted office block in Shanghai, and The Design Republic Commune, a design gallery, shop and event space in the same city. See more architecture in China.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Photography is by Shu He.

Here’s some more information from Daipu Architects:


Located in Songzhuang, Beijing, China, Tree art museum lies beside the main road of the area. Original village has vanished, replaced by big scale blocks which better fit for cars. Even if renowned as artist village, it’s difficult to stay or enjoy art exploration without local artist friend’s introducing. So, the first idea was to create an ambient, a public space where people would like to stay, date and communicate.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

I hope people might be attracted into the museum by the view at the entrance. Their eyes would follow the curvy floorslab coming from the ground all the way up to the roof. People could choose getting into the space either through the ramp or the courtyard with a pool and tree on the first floor. Sky is reflected onto the ground, with reflecting pool together, helping people to filter their mind and forget the environment out there.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

The first courtyard was separated with the main road and dust outside by a bare-concrete wall. People would stay and chat under the tree in the courtyard, or, just feed fishes by the reflecting pool. Meanwhile, they could enjoy artworks and watch other people lingering inside the building through curtain wall. In the bare-concrete wall, there is a corridor which could be utilized to exhibit books and small sculptures. The curvature varies slightly along the path.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

The second courtyard introduces nature light to the back exhibition hall and meeting room on 2nd floor, while separating the public and privacy needed. The curvy wall implies people to the other side of the building, and introduces them to come to the public stairs-plaza on the roof, where people could sit and enjoy sunshine, or look down to the pool or even chat with people down in the courtyard.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

There are six and half courtyards on 2,695 square meters site. Besides the two bigger ones for exhibition, there are four more courtyards lying on the upper part. Two yards apply sunlight to the back space and introduce skylight to the exhibition hall below. The other two yards are on the top of the floor, which also open to sky.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: axonometric diagram – click for larger image

By taking real and pure expression, this project hopes to create a place where local people and visitors would communicate with nature, light, trees, water and contemporary art. This simple and plain idea will spread out through their experience.

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: ground floor plan – click for larger image

Project title: Tree Art Museum
Location: Song zhuang, Beijing, China
Height: 18.78 meter
No. of floors: Exhibition part: 2 stories, Function part: 5 stories
Building Area: 3,200 square meters
Site area: 2,695 square meters

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: first and second floor plans – click for larger image

Client: Chinese Contemporary Art Development Foundation
Design Architect: Daipu Architects
Director: Dai Pu
Design Team: Dai Pu, Feng Jing, Liu Yi

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: third and fourth floor plans – click for larger image

Structural Engineer: Huang Shuangxi
Water Engineer: Lei Ming
Mechanical Engineer: Wang Gepeng
Electrical Engineer: Wang Xiang
Curtain Consultant: Beijing Doorwin Decoration Co, Ltd
Design: 2009.11
Construction: 2010.11 – 2012.09

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: cross section one – click for larger image

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: cross section two – click for larger image

Tree Art Museum by Daipu Architects

Above: street elevation – click for larger image

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Daipu Architects
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