Animation Cultural City is a mixed-use campus for the creative community in Beijing, China, combining office, retail and parking with extensively landscaped spaces. Its buildings and landscape were designed to inspire both workers and visitors and to fuel creative energy.

Great consideration was given to the use of sunlight in this design. The building orientation, scale and façade detailing are used to optimize the amount of direct sunlight while allowing diffused light into office and retail spaces. Plazas, sunken gardens and other exterior areas provide shaded resting spots as well as sun-filled larger public spaces.

These public spaces and plazas provide ample outdoor areas for public and private gatherings in daytime and night, all seasons of the year. They create an enjoyable, lively environment with modern, sophisticated architectural appeal and aesthetic interest.

Ideally situated for its use as an office tower, 645 W. Madison is located between Chicago’s central business district—the Loop—and the West Loop, an emerging hub of business innovation and a popular destination for dining and nightlife. Bordered on the north by Madison Street, on the east by Desplaines Avenue and on the west by the Kennedy Expressway, the site is easily accessible via car, rail and bicycle.

The 19-story building consists of 15 office and two parking levels above a ground level containing 6,500 square feet of retail. A generous office lobby and building support areas—including an extensive bicycle facility—provide useful amenities.

Outdoor terraces are located at strategic locations throughout the building, including the east and west sides of the office amenity level. The top office level has a private roof terrace, and the building’s roof has a public terrace accessible to all building occupants.

The typical office floor plate has been designed with lease spans that allow for maximum flexibility and efficiency in planning and construction. The floor plan is organized by a rational grid, which is also carried through to the façade expression.

A modern composition of masonry with a punched expression, the façade references the historical brick architecture of the surrounding neighborhood. Its large expanses of glass maximize natural light.

The elegant use of materials in bKL’s design for the AVIC Headquarters exudes restrained sophistication. City views and natural light throughout the building enhance the practical requirements for an office, such as optimal efficiency in floor plans.

A large open plaza frames the building as a civic monument, where its form and lightness in skin are balanced with its position on the site and relationship to other buildings and the park.

Sustainable strategies include water reclamation and grey water systems as well as passive strategies to control solar gain. Daylight is admitted to interior spaces through a well-detailed curtain wall system of frameless, clear LoE glass. Its colored ceramic frit and a metal screen of aluminum and stainless steel provide shading and minimize heat gain.

Scientific Instrument Complex is located in the heart of Zhongguancun, the area of Beijing often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley. It is surrounded by world-renowned universities.

The office complex is designed to foster scientific and technological innovation. Six primary buildings enclose a garden courtyard, creating a refuge from the city for colleagues and visitors.

Work spaces are designed in varying scales and degrees of privacy. They encourage the interaction and collaboration that lead to new ideas and innovation. Public spaces and office support facilities serve the primary function of the complex.