“Backyard at”, as an office community that integrates nature and ecology, is an innovative platform that promotes green technology. The design team considers “Green Mission”, “Innovation” and “Playful” as its three main concepts, which intend to reintroduce nature into the gradually homogeneous urban office life. Ultimately, it creates a sky oasis and provides a kind of environmental-friendly and sustainable new office experience amid the modern skyscrapers located at Suzhou CBD.
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International Interior Design Awards 2022 (IIDA 2022)
Urban Sky Oasis: Backyard at 12 Office Community
Corporate Interior Built
Firm
WEN STUDIO x NeosSpace
Architect/Designer
YANG Wen
Design Team
Lead Designers: YANG Wen, SHI Xi; Design Team: YANG Wen, SHI Xi, DENG Zexu, WANG Xiaoya, HUANG Jiaqi
Location
Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
Country
China
Photographer/Copyright
©WEN STUDIO, NeosSpace
Design Challenge:
With a limited budget, the client hopes to retain the original office space as much as possible. Therefore, the design team attempts to demonstrate the brand spirit of “Backyard at” through partial renovation and innovative public space design.
Design Strategy:
The creation of an “Urban Jungle” atmosphere starts from the sub-entrance of the elevator lobby. The “Jungle” serves as the first impression of the space, combined with the wooden deck, path, and seats breaking the stereotyped layout of traditional office space “reception upon entry”. In addition, the partition wall of the main entrance uses translucent polycarbonate panels, creating an entering intention with visible indistinctly open public space.
Entering the public zone, the green undulating grass slope stretches along the glass curtain wall, forming an interesting contrast with the high-rise buildings outside the window. In the meantime, to extend the atmosphere of outdoor recreation, the retro dining car, the rope net tent-like sunken communication area, the bar hut-like reception, and the leisure booth seats are added to the public space. These elements, on the one hand, divide the space; on the other hand, create a circulation that is dynamic, varied and flexible.
Design Innovation:
In order to emphasize the core of the public area, the design removes parts of the original walls and ceiling, and uses concrete paint to create an understated but alive background for the space theme “green”. Considering the post-maintenance and user experience, the common interior green wall is innovatively designed as a grass slope, fulfilling the diversified scenarios such as lying, sitting, resting, chatting, overlooking the city and using in conjunction with the surrounding space.
Social Significance:
Backyard at 12 Office Community explores a new type of office design that breaks the boundaries of the office cubicles and beyond the stereotyped kind. Enabling working in a comfortable and flowing space amid the feeling of natural green, Backyard at 12 is designed to mitigate the sense of tension and restraint brought about by standard office space. Thereby, it encourages mutual communication and collaboration, and stimulates creativities.