OL Headquarters | ATB Orient

Chief Architect:                                Angel Taborda Britch

Chief Designer:                                Facundo Taborda Gauna

Senior Architects:                            Placido Raineri, Ma Li Juan, Zhang Xu, Xie Guofang, Alberto Casano

Structural SD & Detail Design:        Torsten G. Gottlebe & Paul G. Fu - Thornton Tomasetti

Structural Construction Design:    Tong Lv - Beijing Industrial Design and Research Institute

Interior Design Concept:                 Angel Taborda Britch

Interior Design & Construction:     Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration Co., Ltd. Nanjing Institute

Photographer:                                  Facundo Taborda Gauna

One of the most important projects realized by ATB Orient, in association with the architect Facundo Taborda Gauna and OUDG, was the commission to design the corporate headquarters of OL, China’s largest landscaping company. “This is a huge company, don’t be mistaken, run by Mrs. He Qianov, who according to Fortune is the third richest woman in China.” She wanted her HQ, located within Beijing’s prestigious “Art District 798”, to exude a sleek corporate feel but also reflect the landscaping business. “We resisted the temptation to use the color green, focusing instead on interplay of rounded structural forms accentuated by elements that represent the sinuous shapes of plants.”

All of this is set within a crisp white environment in which sound seems dampened and a dream like atmosphere is further enhanced by a structure that “soars” up the central atrium to the glassed cupola above. “The plant’s stem shape and leaves are inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk, but they form part of a ramped walkway that spirals up through the interior atrium towards the natural light that floods the structure.” Used for internal communication within the office, this walkway is also intended to provide a spot where workers of all levels within the building can enjoy a moment of repose or a chat, thus breaking down the traditionally rigid hierarchy within the Chinese workplace. Opened in August this year with great fanfare, the new corporate HQ also incorporates a planted wall which, with a surface area of 780 m2 through seven levels, is the largest and highest in Asia.

Michel Cruz - Essential