A Tour of Byton’s New Nanjing Office – Phase Two

Michal
Transportation
5 years ago

Chinese all-electric vehicle brand Byton hired architecture firm inDeco to design a second phase of their Nanjing production offices.

“The designers took “tracks” — an abstraction of tire tracks, as the design concept, which is a design thread running through the entire space. Through drawing on flexible urban spatial pattern and vehicular transportation network, inDeco made the large workspace resemble a small city, which is filled with vigor and connectivity. Byton’s logo, the abstract “tracks”, as well as the material palette and color scheme specific to Byton, together form the space’s overall visual impression.

Functional division

The office building consists of three storeys, with an atrium dividing it into two independent parts on the north and south sides. Situated at Byton’s production base which is far away from the downtown area, it doesn’t merely serve office employees, but also all the staff of the production base.

Considering that the architectural space needs to be adaptive to changes and provide an ideal venue for collective or independent activities, inDeco figured out a clear functional division. The first floor is an open multifunctional space, which accommodates canteen, shop, infirmary, yoga room, display hall and spaces for meeting and negotiation, while the second floor is mainly used as an office area.

Display hall

The whole display hall is characterized by smooth lines and abstract “tracks”. The light leaves distinct shadows and traces at different times, making the interior charming. A sweeping staircase extends upwards, outlining a vertical trace. In addition, large areas of the space are dominated by cement-like hues, which endow the space with a minimalist industrial style.

In the display hall, a static space is transformed into an intimate experiential space, which serves for multiple purposes, such as communication, learning, and display.

Atrium

Some people think that “reconstruction” is a neutral word, which indicates unknown and challenge. But for inDeco, “reconstruction” is the start of innovation, and the key to transformation.

As opposed to adopting a conventional staircase solution which usually arranges the stairs in a relatively hidden manner, inDeco set a staircase in the atrium and made it a visual highlight within the entire space. The staircase not only enhances the direct connection between 1F and 2F, but also creates a ton of visual tension. It turns the space itself to be “tracks”, which will be imprinted in people’s memory.

In order to let the busy employees feel the change of time as well as light and shadows, inDeco created a huge skylight above the end of the staircase. Natural light freely filters in, turning the office building into an experiential space that integrates nature, architecture and people.

The area at the top of the staircase and around the atrium embraces ample daylight, which was made to be a unique versatile zone that combines the functions of resting, talking and entertainment, etc.

Leisure area

The leisure area is arranged at the central area on 2F, which is like a “city center”. Circulation routes converge in this area, and the employees socialize there. The circulation spaces and socializing zones within the leisure area are blended and interwoven. Such an open and relaxing environment creates opportunities for the staff to socialize, hence enlivens the atmosphere within the company.

Diverse yet flexible combinations of furniture inject vitality into the space, and make it available for private one-to-one talk or group discussion. Or, the employees can find a single sofa at the corner, sit down and do nothing, just staying alone for a while.

Office area

The design of this area follows Byton’s office culture, which aims to spark inspiration and improve working environment. It’s an office zone full of lines, flexibility and freedom.The open working area presents a modern aesthetic, and provides smooth sight lines. The ceiling and walls are geometrically segmented, overlapped and reorganized, which appear disorderly but in fact are given a kind of hidden order. Through subtle spatial organization and functional division, inDeco endowed the whole office area with new vigor.

Conference rooms

Movement tracks of automobiles are products of modernization. And ink marks of the traditional Chinese ink and wash painting on the ceiling also present a form of “tracks”, which represent the classy aesthetic taste of Chinese people for several thousand years, and also highlight the Chinese genes of Byton.”