BIBA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RENOVATION
X+ SPACE
X+ Space is conceived as a hybrid workplace for emerging industries across internet technology, finance, media, and culture—sectors defined by rapid iteration, cross-disciplinary exchange, and fluid organizational structures. Responding to the client’s ambition for an energetic and innovation-driven environment, the design introduces “The Tornado” as the central spatial motif. This continuous, multi-directional architectural gesture translates the industry’s core attributes of flow, reconfiguration, and acceleration into a physical form.
LOCATION Beijing, China
AREA 1800 m²
STATUS Completed
CLIENT Qingchuang Shoukai (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd.
YEAR 2016
PROGRAMS Office, Interior Design
The existing building spans 56 meters in length with a depth of only 11 meters and limited floor heights on Levels 2 and 3. These constraints informed a strategy that turns the linearity of the site into an advantage. The “Tornado” sweeps across floors, walls, and ceilings to form a single uninterrupted movement along the building’s entire length. Acting as the project’s primary visual and spatial identifier, it strengthens orientation, amplifies spatial depth, and establishes a distinct sense of presence within an otherwise narrow volume.
Levels 2 and 3 host open workspaces, meeting rooms, and informal lounges. Flexibility and reconfigurability underpin the functional organization: central brainstorming zones connect to meeting rooms via operable partitions, supporting multiple modes of use. Modular furniture systems allow rapid transformation to accommodate teams of varying scales, reinforcing the workplace’s adaptive capacity.
Materiality focuses on perforated metal panels and textiles, complemented by a palette of cobalt blue and red—industry-specific chromatic markers—set against a predominantly white background. The resulting atmosphere blends technological clarity with cultural openness and creative energy.
The ground floor adopts a fully open layout integrating reception, a pitch arena, and café-work zones. A central staircase anchors the spatial hierarchy, while the height difference with the main stair creates stepped seating for informal gatherings. The pitch arena, defined by timber platforms and red-blue-grey seating modules, functions as a multipurpose hub for presentations, talks, product launches, and casual social interaction.
Through a strong conceptual anchor, an adaptable functional system, and a highly connective spatial framework, X+ Space establishes a resilient and future-ready workplace ecosystem for rapidly evolving innovation industries.
CHIEF DESIGNER
Xiaoyi Ma
DESIGN TEAM
Yue Liu, Yanting Zhu, Xuejiao Zhou, Shi Fu