Ningbo Bauhinia Business Center: A Unique Industrial-Style Office Space

Combining Container Elements to Create a Modernist Aesthetic

The project is located in Ningbo, China, a city that holds historical significance as the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and remains one of the country's most important port cities. The design of the Bauhinia Business Center pays homage to this maritime heritage by taking inspiration from the container terminal.

Using the container as a box, each individual space within the business center is stacked, reassembled, and redistributed to form different open areas and structures. This unique approach creates a dynamic and visually striking environment that captures the essence of industrial design.

The design team, led by Andy Leung, utilized industrial die-cast corrugated metal panels as a key design element. The thick metal panels collide with vibrant colors, creating a juxtaposition between the deconstructed space and the well-organized order. These contradictions and conflicts ultimately settle and bloom within the interior space of the Bauhinia Business Center.

One of the main challenges faced during the design process was finding a balance between the privacy required for meetings and the transparency desired for the public areas. To address this, movable partitions were used to divide the 1,500 square meter space. The conference area features modular partitions that can be opened to maintain an open and transparent overall space or closed to ensure privacy and efficiency during meetings.

The Bauhinia Business Center not only stands as a visually stunning architectural marvel but also showcases the potential of container architecture as a new, environmentally friendly, and movable building material. This innovative approach to design is increasingly favored by people and is expected to become a growing trend in the future.

Completed in December 2020, the Ningbo Bauhinia Business Center serves as a testament to the city's rich history and its commitment to embracing modern design and technology. By combining the elements of container architecture with an industrial aesthetic, Andy Leung and his team have created a truly unique and inspiring office space.

Photographer: Shengyang Lee

Intellectual Property Notice: Copyrights belong to ISSI DESIGN LTD., 2021.

Awards and Accolades: The Ningbo Bauhinia Business Center was awarded the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space, Retail, and Exhibition Design category in 2021. This prestigious award recognizes the outstanding creativity and ingenuity of the design, showcasing its contribution to improving quality of life through the incorporation of best practices in art, science, design, and technology.