For a company, office space is the most powerful language to showcase its strength and brand image. Evans Lee Design’s new self-use office in 2020 was selected on the 52nd floor of the Guangzhou International Finance Cente. Covering an area of over 600 square metres, it consists of four parts: art gallery, meeting room, office area and founder’s office, meeting the design team’s requirements for efficient office work but also providing employees with an entertainment space. Referring to the gardens of Suzhou, where people and nature coexist harmoniously, Evans Lee gave each functional area a fluid line to achieve a continuity of penetration, which makes people feel the pleasure of walking around. Entering the art corridor, an abstract painting of the city hangs on the white wall, forming a corridor of colourful experience through the mirror. Reflected by the portrait of a crowd of people, it is like a group of creative people enthusiastically marching through a lively, interesting and stimulating city.
Turning right into the reception area, the open space creates a relatively relaxed and comfortable reception area; it also functions as a meeting room to meet the day-to-day needs of the office, and is at the centre of the office, connecting the staff office with the founder’s office, improving the efficiency of working communication and expanding the effective use of space. The core of the office design is to make the space ’empty’. A small amount of colour is used to break down limitations, create fun and efficiency, and give people a sense of vibrancy. Evans Lee insists on minimalist design, using only black and white in the space to outline a sense of cleanliness, and a small amount of bright colours to accentuate the vitality of the space. After exploring how to improve interaction in the space in several private residential projects, Evans Lee realised that the openness, flow and interactivity of the space are connected and have a strong intrinsic correlation. With this in mind, Evans Lee focuses on the interaction between work and communication, open and private spaces, with a human-centred approach.
This allows for a free environment that enhances communication and interaction, which in turn increases productivity, while having a human touch and flavour of life that appropriately allows employees the freedom to rebuild their work environment. To meet the development needs of the company, the team dutifully explores the endless possibilities of design and adopts forward-looking design thinking to combine office needs with living conditions to satisfy employees’ work and life. At the same time, it highlights the company’s culture and characteristics, enhances the experience of the space in terms of layout, details, leisure and entertainment, creating a modern office environment that is people-oriented, free and comfortable. With this design Lee wants to push for a redefinition of the office space as the epicentre from which the company originates and branches out into the daily experience of its employees.
CREDITS
Project: Guangzhou IFC Tower – F52 Office
Interior Design: Evans Lee
Year: 2020
Photo: K&J VISION, Ao Xiang
