say architects Community Office | say architects

The new office of say architects is situated on the street, adjacent to the Qiantang River. In contrast to the previously more private office areas, the street-facing location presents greater challenges in terms of openness. say hopes that the new office can depart from traditional office modes, integrating leisure into the workspace. With user needs as a starting point, they aim to explore a more life-oriented open office space, providing a more comfortable and relaxed working experience for each user.

The entrance is connected to the community street, extending pedestrian bricks to the outdoor area. The landscape area at the entrance is connected to the hang bar outdoor area, embracing the natural surroundings of the community. 100*100 I-beams serve as the basis for the exterior facade structure, extending both indoors and outdoors. Outwardly protruding "cow legs" combined with ropes allow landscape plants to climb and grow along the ropes, while horizontal steel pipes are embedded with mist sprays. The I-beams traversing inwardly provide support for the ladder shelves indoors, and the exposed steel frames serve as architectural pillars throughout the interior, creating a more relaxed and enjoyable office environment.

The entire ground floor of the office is used for office activities, incorporating three-dimensional boxes due to the advantage of height: a large conference room, stairs, and a model room. The adjacent block division ensures coherent use of each functional area. Cast-in-place concrete stairs serve as connecting elements, with fabric covering during formwork to give them a natural texture after demoulding. Holes left during formwork on the stairs serve as fixed points for handrails, which are made of threaded steel, creating a more authentic atmosphere through the combination of original building materials.

The large conference room is cantilevered above the ground floor without columns below, cleverly using hoop reinforcement to connect with the beams. The conference table features a wide end and a narrow end according to usage habits, ensuring a complete viewing experience for each participant. The floor of the conference room is made of cast-in-place perforated floor slabs to ensure light circulation.

The office area is located along the windows, with ultra-wide floor-to-ceiling windows ensuring ample sunlight collection. Natural light is introduced, eliminating the need for excessive artificial lighting. However, direct sunlight is also an issue, so awnings are provided for sunshade while maintaining the integrity of the outdoor green landscape.

The layout of functional areas in the office area conforms to the users' work habits. The work area is located in the center, separated by material storage cabinets serving as soft partitions between three office desks. Behind each workstation is an array of materials readily available for use, ensuring a continuous manifestation of design inspiration in reality.

Surrounding the work area is a life-oriented leisure area, with a material wall for designers' discussions, a bookshelf for reading against the wall, a water bar nearby providing tea drinks, and a corner sofa for resting and discussion. Each area is adjacent without physical barriers, breaking the limitations of workstations, allowing leisure and work to coexist.

The interior space at the edge of the office area is used as a model room, constructed entirely of wood with soft warm lighting and warm wood materials, creating a workshop atmosphere. Storage cabinets categorize all materials for easy access by users. The window at the back of the model room connects to the hang bar, serving as an observation window for external display.

Hang bar serves as a derivative of the office, fulfilling the function of exhibitions. Following the concept of "Hang," square steel around and a central adjustable steel frame are key to the exhibition, allowing hanging displays of art using exposed structures, bringing infinite possibilities to the space.

say has always been telling different stories to people, so the community office is also serving people, eliminating formalism and returning to the exploration of "people." The space seeks a balance between functionality and warmth, allowing each user to gain positive energy and a pleasant experience.