SC Office

Shanghai, China

Architects: SKEW Collaborative

Any: 2012

The rather unusual location of this office within a typical Chinese podium- tower complex was the starting point of the project. The intersection point of the residential and commercial sections of this tower is a roof top garden surrounded by what is essentially “stolen space” – dead spaces rented out to offices that have no commercial presence or representation anywhere else in the complex. These offices, complete with their own circulation and security systems, do not communicate with either the residences above, or the shopping arcade below, partitioning the complex sectionally into 3 disparate, hermetic zones.

These interests in “stolen” useless spaces, and partitioning are manifest in the design, which comprises an open-office space, utility space, and a conference room. A tube extends from the interior into the common corridor, essentially gaining (stealing) square footage for the small office, while transforming to an outdoor seating area, and screen to block out the unsightly vista across the street. Made out of wood, salvaged bamboo flooring and cork, the tube divides the office into a raised meeting room that also houses the office library, the toilet/pantry area, and the general workspace. Cuts are tectonically sliced into this tube to allow for circulation and communication, thereby expanding the sense of space within the relatively small interior.