A grid of muted copper frames the large windows of this slender office building, designed by British architect David Chipperfield for a park-side site in Hangzhou in China.

Description of the project by David Chipperfield Architects

The ten-storey office building is located in a diversely built area on Moganshan Road near Hangzhou’s tranquil Shuyhan Park. Within this dense context the new building asserts its object-like presence with a clear geometric form. The positioning of the slim building in the middle of the site provides spatial distance to the neighbouring buildings. The volume is placed above street level as if on a stage. The raised level and the modulation of the surrounding exterior spaces allow for diverse transitions from the city into the building.

All stone surfaces of the exterior topography are crafted from the same matt grey basalt. The structure of the building is based on a reinforced concrete frame. The façade clad with large copper cassettes reflects this structure outwards. The area around the windows is clad with smaller sheet copper elements. These smaller elements, which are manually pointed using a standing seam technique, display a degree of refinement, accentuating the surfaces within the overall structure. The rectangular columns along the narrow side of the building enhance the slender appearance. The lively surface of the bronze cladding gives the façade an elegant, vibrant look.

The structure along the perimeter of the building allows for a column-free floor plan inside. Each standard floor consists of one large space, which is arranged like a ring around the central core. Each floor can be divided into two separate units. The floor plans allow for single, group or open plan offices. The lighting of the rooms further supports this flexibility of use. The auxiliary functions are located in the central core. The linearity of the space, the generous ceiling heights and the large windows give the building a loft-like character. While the outer walls are plastered white, oak wood is used for the cladding of the core and the flooring.

Text.- David Chipperfield Architects.


CREDITS.-

Architect.- David Chipperfield Architects, Berlin, Shanghai.
Partner Berlin.- Mark Randel.
Representative Shanghai.- Libin Chen.
Project architects.- Peter von Matuschka, Daniel Koo.
Contact architect.- Zhejiang Fanes Institute of Architecture Design and Management Co. Ltd.
Landscape architect.- Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten.
Structural engineer.- Zhejiang Fanes Institute of Architecture Design and Management Co. Ltd.
Services engineer.- Zhejiang Fanes Institute of Architecture Design and Management Co. Ltd.

Dates.- 2009-2013.
Gross floor area.- 13,200sqm.
Client.- Hangzhou Fanes Baoyuan Real Estate.

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David Chipperfield was born in London in 1953 and studied architecture at the Kingston School of Art and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London before working at the practices of Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.

In 1985 he founded David Chipperfield Architects, which today has over 300 staff at its offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai.

David Chipperfield has taught and held conferences in Europe and the United States and has received honorary degrees from the universities of Kingston and Kent.

He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and an honorary fellow of both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA). In 2009 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and in 2010 he received a knighthood for services to architecture in the UK and Germany. In 2011 he received the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture and in 2013 the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association, while in 2021 he was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in recognition of a lifetime’s work.

In 2012 he curated the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

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Published on: November 21, 2014
Cite: "Office building Moganshan Road by David Chipperfield" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/office-building-moganshan-road-david-chipperfield> ISSN 1139-6415
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