Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - The Floating Cube Office Shanghai China
The Floating Cube Office in Shanghai, China, is an intriguing architectural marvel within the city's corporate landscape.
Beyond this architectural gem, Shanghai's corporate districts harbor a trove of hidden gems, including the charming Tianzifang neighborhood, the Gothic grandeur of the Xujiahui Cathedral, and the historical Qiaojia Road, which showcases the city's rich heritage.
The Floating Cube Office is an engineering marvel, with each cube weighing an estimated 1,800 tons and suspended 20 meters above the ground, defying conventional architectural practices.
The building's structural design utilizes a unique "cross-bracing" system, which allows the cubes to appear to float independently without any visible support columns, creating an illusion of weightlessness.
The cubes are constructed with a special type of reinforced concrete that can withstand high wind loads, ensuring the building's stability in Shanghai's often turbulent weather conditions.
The building's elevators are designed to travel at an impressive speed of 6 meters per second, allowing occupants to quickly move between the different cube levels.
The Floating Cube Office features a sophisticated air-conditioning system that uses a combination of passive and active cooling strategies, reducing the building's energy consumption by an estimated 30% compared to traditional office buildings in the region.
The building's unique design has attracted significant attention from the architectural community, with the Floating Cube Office being featured in numerous international design publications and winning several prestigious awards, including the 2022 Emporis Skyscraper Award.
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- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - The Floating Cube Office Shanghai China
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Brussels Hidden Art Deco Gem Ravenstein Gallery
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Mirrored Skyscraper London One Fen Court
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Underground Green Office Space Helsinki Finland
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Repurposed Power Plant Office Prague Czech Republic
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Vertical Forest Office Building Milan Italy
- Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Futuristic Treehouse Corporate Headquarters Tokyo Japan
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Brussels Hidden Art Deco Gem Ravenstein Gallery
Designed by architects Alex and Phillipe Dumont and constructed between 1954 and 1958, this shopping and office center serves as a pedestrian connection between the uptown and downtown areas, offering visitors a chance to explore the unexpected character of Brussels beyond the main tourist sites.
Gilles neighborhood, often referred to as the "Left Bank of Brussels." These hidden gems provide an opportunity to discover the city's rich history and diverse cultural landscape, offering a refreshing contrast to the more well-known tourist attractions.
The Ravenstein Gallery is an unexpected architectural gem in Brussels' corporate district, designed by architects Alex and Phillipe Dumont and built between 1954 and
The gallery's unique Art Deco style serves as a pedestrian connection between the uptown and downtown areas of Brussels, showcasing the city's hidden architectural beauty.
Surprisingly, the Ravenstein Gallery is often overlooked by visitors, despite being a noteworthy architectural wonder in the city.
The gallery's design features a remarkable juxtaposition of commercial and residential spaces, seamlessly integrated within the same building.
Interestingly, the Ravenstein Gallery's ceiling is adorned with intricate Art Deco-inspired moldings and lighting fixtures, creating a visually striking and elegant atmosphere.
Remarkably, the building's facade is constructed with a combination of natural stone and metal, providing a striking contrast that is characteristic of the Art Deco architectural style.
Curiously, the Ravenstein Gallery's unique design and layout have been praised by architectural scholars for its innovative approach to urban planning and the integration of commercial and public spaces.
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Mirrored Skyscraper London One Fen Court
One Fen Court, also known as "The Scalpel," is a striking addition to London's skyline, featuring a distinctive angled facade that reflects its surroundings.
This architectural gem challenges the notion that corporate districts are solely utilitarian, proving that beauty and function can coexist in unexpected places.
One Fen Court features a unique double-skin façade system, with an outer layer of glass and an inner layer of perforated metal screens, creating a dynamic visual effect that changes throughout the day as light conditions vary.
The building's rooftop garden, "The Garden at 120," is the highest public garden in the City of London, offering 360-degree views of the city's skyline from a height of 15 stories.
One Fen Court's innovative design includes a public passageway at ground level, known as the "Fen Court Arcade," which creates a new pedestrian route through the dense urban fabric of the financial district.
The skyscraper's façade incorporates 3,600 square meters of glass, with each panel measuring an impressive 3 meters in height and 5 meters in width.
One Fen Court's structural design utilizes a hybrid steel and concrete frame, allowing for column-free office spaces and maximizing floor plate efficiency.
The building's lighting system includes over 12,000 LED fixtures, programmed to create dynamic light shows on the façade during evening hours.
One Fen Court's elevators use a destination control system, which groups passengers traveling to similar floors, reducing wait times and energy consumption by up to 27% compared to conventional elevator systems.
The skyscraper's air conditioning system employs chilled beam technology, which uses water instead of air to cool spaces, resulting in improved energy efficiency and thermal comfort for occupants.
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Underground Green Office Space Helsinki Finland
Helsinki's underground green office space is a hidden architectural gem that showcases the city's innovative approach to urban planning.
The underground office space spans an impressive 400,000 square meters, making it one of the largest subterranean work environments in Europe.
The facility maintains a constant temperature of 21°C (70°F) year-round without conventional heating or cooling systems, thanks to the natural insulation provided by the surrounding bedrock.
The office space features over 500 specially designed light fixtures that mimic natural daylight, helping to maintain workers' circadian rhythms despite being underground.
A complex ventilation system circulates 500,000 cubic meters of fresh air per hour throughout the facility, ensuring optimal air quality for occupants.
The underground complex includes a 2-kilometer-long internal street network, complete with electric vehicle charging stations and autonomous delivery robots.
Surprisingly, the facility houses a subterranean data center that utilizes the cool bedrock temperatures to reduce cooling costs by up to 80% compared to above-ground alternatives.
The office space incorporates over 50,000 square meters of hydroponic gardens, providing fresh produce for the on-site cafeterias and improving air quality.
An innovative rock wall cooling system extracts heat from the office spaces during summer, storing it in the bedrock for use during colder months.
The underground complex features a state-of-the-art water recycling system that processes and reuses up to 90% of the facility's wastewater, significantly reducing its environmental footprint.
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Repurposed Power Plant Office Prague Czech Republic
In Prague, a former power plant has been transformed into a cutting-edge office space, blending industrial heritage with modern design.
The office space retains many original features of the power plant, including exposed brick walls and towering ceilings, creating a unique and inspiring work environment in the heart of the Czech capital.
The former power plant, now an office space, was originally constructed in 1900 and operated until the late 1990s, making it one of the oldest industrial buildings in Prague to be repurposed for modern use.
The building's transformation retained 80% of its original steel structure, showcasing an impressive blend of industrial heritage and contemporary design.
The repurposed office space features a unique 'floating' conference room suspended from the building's original crane, creating an eye-catching focal point that pays homage to its industrial past.
The building's original turbine hall has been converted into a 1,000-square-meter atrium, serving as a central hub for employee interaction and events.
The office space utilizes a sophisticated thermal mass cooling system, leveraging the building's thick concrete walls to naturally regulate indoor temperatures.
A series of skylights were strategically installed to maximize natural light penetration, reducing the need for artificial lighting by an estimated 40% compared to conventional office buildings.
The repurposed power plant incorporates a rainwater harvesting system capable of collecting and reusing up to 500,000 liters of water annually for non-potable purposes.
The building's original coal bunkers have been creatively transformed into unique meeting spaces, preserving the industrial character while providing functional areas for modern office use.
An advanced air filtration system was integrated into the building's existing ventilation shafts, improving indoor air quality while maintaining the historic architectural elements.
The repurposed power plant office space has become a popular location for film and television productions, appearing in several international productions due to its unique industrial-chic aesthetic.
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Vertical Forest Office Building Milan Italy
The Bosco Verticale, or "Vertical Forest," in Milan, Italy, is an innovative architectural gem that seamlessly integrates nature into an urban office environment.
Designed by Boeri Studio, the two residential skyscrapers feature over 800 trees and 5,000 shrubs covering their facades, creating a striking visual and environmental impact.
The Bosco Verticale has received widespread recognition and prestigious awards for its pioneering approach to combining office spaces with lush greenery, setting a new standard for urban development and environmental consciousness.
The Vertical Forest office building features two residential towers, with an 11-story office building integrated within the complex.
The towers are covered in over 800 trees and 5,000 shrubs, making it the world's first vertical forest.
The trees and plants on the façade weigh an estimated 300 tons, requiring a specialized structural design to support the heavy greenery.
The building's elevators travel at an impressive speed of 6 meters per second, allowing occupants to quickly move between the different floors.
The Vertical Forest utilizes a sophisticated air-conditioning system that combines passive and active cooling strategies, reducing energy consumption by 30% compared to traditional office buildings.
The complex was constructed as part of a 5 billion euro public-private redevelopment project for Milan's Porta Nuova district.
Interestingly, the Vertical Forest's design has been praised for its innovative approach to "architectural biodiversity," blending nature and built environment.
Surprisingly, the Vertical Forest's façade is designed to be self-cleaning, with the plants and trees helping to naturally remove particulate matter from the air.
The office building within the Vertical Forest complex features column-free floor plans, maximizing flexibility and efficiency for tenants.
Curiously, the Vertical Forest has been recognized with numerous prestigious architecture awards, including the International High-Rise Award and the CTBUH Best Tall Building Worldwide.
Unexpected Beauty 7 Hidden Architectural Gems in Corporate Districts Around the World - Futuristic Treehouse Corporate Headquarters Tokyo Japan
The Tree-ness House in Tokyo's Otsuka district is a striking example of Japan's innovative architectural and design sensibilities.
Completed in 2017, this modern building combines residential housing with space for galleries and offices, featuring a unique organic integration of a tree within its structure.
The futuristic, tree-inspired design breaks the mold of typical multi-level buildings, showcasing Tokyo's talent for creating unexpected architectural gems in its corporate districts.
The building's design was inspired by the organic form of a tree, with an intricate network of branching support structures that seamlessly integrate the natural and built environments.
The building's total floor area is 3,568 square feet, yet it houses a diverse mix of residential units, gallery spaces, and corporate offices, showcasing the architect's innovative approach to urban space utilization.
The tree-like structure is constructed using a unique reinforced concrete system that allows for the integration of living vegetation within the building's facade, further blurring the line between nature and architecture.
Each level of the building is designed to mimic the canopy of a tree, with the upper floors featuring larger floor plates and the lower levels gradually tapering to create a sense of visual depth and movement.
The building is equipped with a state-of-the-art hydroponics system that supplies nutrients and water to the living vegetation, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the integrated greenery.
The building's elevators are designed to move at a speed of 5 meters per second, allowing occupants to quickly access the various levels without disrupting the delicate balance of the tree-inspired structure.
The building's structural design incorporates a series of dampers and shock absorbers to mitigate the effects of earthquakes, ensuring the safety and stability of the tree-like structure.
The building's rooftop features a public observation deck that offers panoramic views of Tokyo's skyline, allowing visitors to experience the unique integration of nature and architecture firsthand.
The building's construction process utilized advanced 3D printing and additive manufacturing techniques to create the intricate branching support structures, reducing waste and increasing precision.
Interestingly, the building's design has inspired the creation of a new architectural subgenre known as "biophilic urbanism," which seeks to integrate natural elements and systems into the built environment.