Page 139 - AIT1022_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Clou Architects, CN-Peking
Bauherr • Client Clou Architects, CN-Peking
Standort • Location CN-Peking
Nutzfläche • Floor space 388 m 2
Fotos • Photos Banye Lin
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 166

CLOU ARCHITECTURAL

OFFICE IN BEIJING

1 Arbeitsraum • Workplace Half a storey of the Sanlitun Soho Towers is occupied
5 2 Besprechungsraum • Meeting room
3 Empfangstheke • Reception desk by the new Clou architectural office in Beijing. From
4 Server-Raum • IT server room the glazed tower which rises into the sky, one has a
5 Lackier-Raum • Painting room
6 6 Modellbau • Model shop view all the way to the mountains in the northeast of
7 Material-Bibliothek • Material library
the city. But even inside the office that surprises with
6 the clean-looking interior concept, one can let the eyes
7 wander. And actually “further” than one thinks.

P olished surfaces and reflections that fake infinity: The new premises
of Clou in Beijing are so far from confirming the cliché of an archi-
tectural office where creative chaos is always expected to reign. One
feels more like being in a hip designer shop than in a think tank. Even
2
when taking a good look at the work tables which are closely arranged
next to each other like in a call centre, one can hardly imagine that this
4
is an office on the 17th floor of the Sanlitun Soho Towers in Beijing
where master plans, architectures, interiors and landscapes are being
designed. Definitely a break with any expectations one might have had.
3 2 Definitely attractive. With its close to 400 square metres, the office is
the third branch Clou has established after the ones already in existence
in the cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen. The office was founded in 2005
by Jan Clostermann who had studied in Berlin and in London. When it
comes to the interior design, what is particularly striking are the mate-
rials which are full of contrast. Zinc-plated steel panels have been atta-
ched to the walls and produce a cool ambience. The magnetic property
of the surface makes the walls usable at the same time. The floor polis-
hed to a high shine and with a block-stripes look in the entrance- and
1 access area as well as glass walls behind which the meeting rooms are
located likewise contribute to the almost supercooled room impression.
Wood panelling, however, counters this impression by adding some-
thing “warm”. This panelling was also installed in the section of the
workshop that also contains archive- and library rooms. Flexibly furnis-
hed, if needed and with little effort, this part of the office can be turned
into a mini-auditorium for internal presentations or into a temporary
photo studio. The transition from the entrance zone with a reception
counter to the workshop part is produced by tiered shelves along the
2
wall. Similar to goods carriers in a store, they serve as presentation sur-
faces. Here, however, there are no fashion articles on display but mo-
dels of buildings and projects whose designs are by Clou. The prettily
arranged objects are thus almost the only indications of this being an
Grundriss • Floor plan architectural office. A successful deception indeed!

AIT 10.2022 • 139