In the bustling heart of Shanghai’s Changning District, Atelier Siyu has masterfully transformed a decade-old factory office into a vibrant, multi-functional creative sanctuary. The Kaixuanfang Studio renovation exemplifies adaptive reuse, breathing new life into the industrial shell while respecting its straightforward, rectangular layout. This ambitious project seamlessly integrates a public-facing photography studio, collaborative work areas, and private offices within 760 square meters, demonstrating how intelligent spatial reprogramming can unlock hidden potential in existing structures.
The core intervention revolves around a strategically angled “box” inserted into the ground floor. This 4.2m by 7.2m enclosure, housing a 12-person meeting room, acts as a dynamic pivot point. Its staggered placement deliberately disrupts the straightforward flow, creating intriguing indirect circulations and serving as the crucial transition between the extroverted public photo studio near the entrance and the more introverted private zones like the equipment room, sample room, and theatre. The deliberate inclinations formed between this box and the existing structure, amplified by carefully considered lighting, inject unexpected vitality and spatial layers into the raw industrial volume.
Addressing a disconnected original staircase became a pivotal design opportunity. Atelier Siyu removed a section and cleverly redirected it to integrate with the entrance and front desk, significantly improving connectivity. The reclaimed space beneath the stairs was ingeniously reimagined as a functional pantry. This entire lower volume – encompassing the staircase base, front desk, and kitchen – is wrapped in a striking angled lightweight brick wall. Strategic openings create captivating “framed views” upon entry. The staircase’s main structure, painted a bold black, creates a dramatic contrast against the building’s exposed red structural frames and the grey entrance, adding a touch of daring energy to the rational workspace.
Facing the challenge of a deep 600mm composite wall (original concrete plus later steel additions) on the first-floor window side, the designers implemented a sophisticated multi-programmed wall system. Necessitated by insulation reconsiderations, this wall now efficiently integrates essential services – air conditioners, trash bins, and fire extinguishers – at optimal heights, enhancing logic and efficiency. Glass bricks were strategically employed within this system, achieving a delicate balance between privacy and natural lighting, allowing light to permeate while obscuring the functional elements within.
The second floor presented constraints, notably a low 2.3-meter clearance under beams. Atelier Siyu responded by rigorously organizing the layout around the structural grid and introducing geometric metal blocks with irregular angles. These sculptural forms define dynamic lobby spaces that fluidly connect diverse functional zones: flexible workrooms, printing areas, small meeting rooms, and administrative offices. Slanted glass partitions, running parallel to the lobby frames, delineate these private areas, creating playful geometric interplay while visually reinforcing spatial integrity. Practical constraints, like the inability to bury wires in the floor, led to the elegant solution of introducing slender columns in the work area to channel electricity from the ceiling directly to desktops.
Throughout the Kaixuanfang Office Renovation, Atelier Siyu employed a palette of robust, tactile materials that complement the building’s industrial heritage: painted metals, galvanized plates, terrazzo, and the signature lightweight bricks. The result is a highly functional yet deeply inspiring creative workspace that masterfully balances public engagement with focused work, celebrates its structural history, and proves that transformative design thrives within the boundaries of adaptive renovation.