Top Time Office: A Creative and Innovative Workspace

Retaining the Charm of Old Buildings while Embracing Modern Design

When renovating old buildings, the design team at Shenzhen Cimax Design Company Limited always prioritizes authenticity. Instead of making extensive repairs, they focus on highlighting the historical characteristics of the space. For Top Time Office, the designer retained as much of the original walls and ceiling of the old plant as possible, embracing the concept of movie and TV dream works.

The office features multiple exquisite colorful glass boxes that integrate bold building materials such as steel plates and bars. This elaborate deconstruction, combination, and construction process creates a visually stunning space that perfectly blends the old and the new. The tonality of the office is almost pure white, providing a blank canvas for creativity to flourish.

The carefully planned layout of the office includes areas for meetings, work, make-up, fitting, discussions, and receptions. Each space is partitioned and arranged in a way that promotes collaboration and productivity. The specially designed overlong working drop-lights and scattered suspension ceiling lamps add a touch of ornate and dynamic flair to the pure white world, reflecting the spirit of the space design and the temperament of its users.

One of the key factors in the success of the space is the accurate mastery of spatial levels and light motions. The design team carefully considered the skeleton and soul of the space, ensuring that it creates a harmonious and inspiring environment. Ancient black bricks, sourced from old buildings in Beijing, were used to add a sense of history and storytelling to the space. Steel was used to strengthen the building, while stained glass added a touch of modern fashion.

The Top Time Office spans a total area of 541 m2 and was completed in June 2012. The project took place in Beijing, China, and was a collaboration between the designer, Bo Lee, and the team at Shenzhen Cimax Design Company Limited.

This innovative office space was designed to meet the needs of people working in the film and fashion industries. It not only serves as a functional office but also doubles as a concept bar, allowing for interaction between the two spaces when necessary. The office can host small conferences, parties, crew meetings, performer fittings, screenings, and more, making it a truly multi-functional and creative workspace.

The renovation of the old factory presented several challenges for the design team. They had to find a balance between maintaining the original look of the building and presenting the new function combinations in a fresh and innovative way. The relationship between natural light and space, accurate spatial levels, and creating the desired atmosphere were all crucial aspects of the project. Despite these challenges, the team successfully preserved the original inner beauty of the space while infusing it with a stylish and contemporary atmosphere.

Top Time Office, with its unique blend of history and modern design, has been recognized for its excellence. It was awarded the Silver A' Design Award in 2016 in the Interior Space, Retail, and Exhibition Design category. This prestigious award is a testament to the outstanding expertise, innovation, and artistic skill demonstrated in the design.

Images:

Image #1: Photographer Bo Li, Top Time Office, 2012.

Image #2: Photographer Bo Li, Top Time Office, 2012.

Image #3: Photographer Bo Li, Top Time Office, 2012.

Image #4: Photographer Bo Li, Top Time Office, 2012.

Image #5: Photographer Bo Li, Top Time Office, 2012.