In the Chinese city of Xi’an, HONG Designworks created a flexible, free-flowing office in white, pink and red tones
Led by chief designer Dang Ming, Chinese firm HONG Designworks has created a flexible 650 sq m workspace for e-commerce company Silk Road.
Located on the 33rd floor of the Maike tower in Xi’an – the Chinese city which has historically marked the Silk Road’s eastern end – the contemporary office hosts a variety of meeting and working areas with different levels of privacy or collaboration.
The colour scheme – taking inspiration from Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy colour theory – centres on red, white and pink tones. Dominated by white to maintain brightness across the spaces, accents of pink and red then introduce warmth or drama.
Embedded lighting shines through curved lines in the ceiling, facilitating circulation and creating a strong sense of sinuous linearity, directional movement and even playfulness.
In the entrance space, cocoon-like pods function as tranquil, semi-enclosed waiting and reading areas; with curved walls, slanted semicircular openings and rich, red interiors, these bring a unique aesthetic to the project upon entering.
A white-grey reception desk in a spiral form is set against a deep-pink curtain, while a large arched window looks on to the main meeting space, flooded with natural light.
Moving beyond the entrance area, one arrives at the office’s heart, the “collaborative space”. This hosts a diverse array of furniture that can be reconfigured as needed for small or large processes of collaboration.
A section of ceiling is cut away to reveal vents and pipes above, painted in dark pink; this is then echoed by a raised platform on the floor below in pale pink. A zigzag divider on this platform separates meeting and working areas from a dedicated space for presentations and talks, with in-built seating, projector and screen.
Beyond this, the “open office” area is found, comprising flexible workstations and a whiteboard wall. Finally, there are enclosed office rooms for the company’s partners, that prioritise comfort and tranquility.
Interiors have been fitted out with products supporting the contemporary, comfort-oriented aesthetic – from brands such Milliken, Kvadrat, Arper, Steelcase and Lee Broom.
All photographs by Tan Xiao
