25 best architecture firms in Beijing
Hufton+Crow

25 best architecture firms in Beijing

22 Feb 2023  •  News  •  By Collin Anderson

China's capital city of Beijing is a sprawling metropolis housing over 20 million people. It is a place with a fascinating built history and consequential constructions such as the imperial Forbidden City and well-preserved sections of China's Great Wall.

Beijing is also home to a number of ambitious recent projects: structurally pioneering high-rise towers that include the OMA-designed CCTV Headquarters, a series of landmarks developed for the 2008 Olympics like the Bird's Nest Stadium and the 'Water Cube' housing the National Aquatics Centre, and quieter, but equally significant works such as the OPEN Architecture-designed Chapel of Sound.

In addition to notable built projects, Beijing boasts many of the world's most innovative architecture firms that practice both locally and internationally and which infuse contemporary projects of all scales with traditional eastern design values. Selected here are 25 firms with offices in Beijing that are setting new standards for Chinese architecture:

 

 

photo_credit MAD Architects
MAD Architects

1. MAD Architects

Founded in 2004 by Ma Yansong, MAD has quickly become one of the world's most notable and inventive design firms. MAD works in forward-looking environments developing futuristic architectures based on a contemporary interpretation of the eastern spirit of nature. MAD's projects - from residential complexes to offices and cultural centers - desire to protect a sense of community and orientation toward nature, offering people the freedom to develop their own experiences. The firm is based in Beijing with satellite offices in Los Angeles, New York City and Rome. MAD's wide-ranging portfolio includes projects such as the curvilinear Harbin Opera House, a building designed in response to the Harbin's untamed wilderness and frigid climate and which appears as if sculpted by wind, water and topography.

 

 

photo_credit Jonathan Leijonhufvud
Jonathan Leijonhufvud

2. OPEN Architecture

OPEN Architecture is an international team of architects and designers with collaborators across different disciplines practicing urbanism, architecture, interior design and “the production of strategies in the context of new challenges of our time.” OPEN was founded by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing in New York City and it established a Beijing office in 2006. Some of the built and ongoing projects by OPEN include: Columbia University GSAPP's Studio-X Beijing, the Gehua Youth and Cultural Center and the Chapel of Sound. OPEN has been recognized with the World Architecture Award for Chinese Architecture, Re-thinking the Future Award, London Design Museum's Design of the Year Nomination and a Merit Award from AIANY.

 

 

photo_credit Wu Qingshan
Wu Qingshan

3. CLOU Architects

CLOU is an international design studio with award-winning expertise in architecture, interiors and landscapes. The team designs its projects, whether small or large in scale, around community nodes and social spaces. Founded by German architect Jan Clostermann, CLOU is a cosmopolitan team of architects and designers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, focused on the central mission of designing world-class social spaces. Combining smart creativity with commercial savvy, CLOU takes its clients' challenges and transforms them into exceptionally innovative designs.

 

 

photo_credit Shu He
Shu He

4. Spark Architects

Spark is an international design studio led by five partners, with proven expertise in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and interior design. Having successfully completed award-winning projects across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Spark continues to create buildings and environments that inspire, inform and transform public spaces. Its work strives to employ the best sustainable practices, and is driven by social inclusion and underpinned by financial viability. Spark works closely with clients to create projects that combine innovation and environmental responsibility alongside commercial success for local economies. Spark's completed work includes Clarke Quay in Singapore, Raffles City in Beijing, Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and the Shanghai International Cruise Terminal.

 

 

photo_credit Jin Weiqi
Jin Weiqi

5. ARCHSTUDIO

Established in 2010 and based in Beijing, ARCHSTUDIO advocates for design which balances humans, nature, history and commerce. The studio focuses on architectural design in natural contexts, urban architecture renovations and transformations, and the upgrade of consumption spaces. In 2015, ARCHSTUDIO was honored as a Design Vanguards by the Architectural Record and, from 2015 to 2019, it was included in China's AD100 list. ARCHSTUDIO's projects include Qishe Courtyard, a renovation of a residence within an ancient quarter of Beijing, into which it embedded a traditional Chinese verandah to link seven separate pitched-roof structures.

 

 

photo_credit Jin Weiqi
Jin Weiqi

6. 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio

Founded in 2012, 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio engages in interdisciplinary research and focuses on projects of urban renewal, architectural and interior design, exhibitions and curation, lighting and art. The studio emphasizes humanism, dialogue between history and the contemporary, and interaction between the natural environment and regional culture. For many years, the studio has also been dedicated to rural architectural design in undeveloped areas of China, and has employed micro interventions to revive rural villages and communities. The design firm is linked with academic institutions that include the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University and China Architectural Society.

 

 

photo_credit Image Courtesy Atelier TeamMinus
Image Courtesy Atelier TeamMinus

7. Atelier TeamMinus

Founded by Professor Li Brian Zhang, TeamMinus started as a design research laboratory in 2001. In 2005, TeamMinus became a full-fledged architecture office that today employs 50 people. The office has been involved in a series of challenging projects ranging from large-scale events buildings, such as a venue for China's National Flower Show and roof gardens for the China Pavilion in the Shanghai Expo, to modest local facilities for culture and community, such as the Jinchang Culture Center and Janamani Visitor Center. Throughout TeamMinus' works, there is an underlying inquiry to define an alternative modernity for China.

 

 

photo_credit BAI Yu
BAI Yu

Crossboundaries is a design firm focused on architecture, environmental design and urban regeneration. It creates enduring architecture that often deals with remarkable technical processes, yet offers a pleasant material touch and a human atmosphere. The work of the studio has varied from projects for automotive production to childcare facilities and cultural complexes. Founded in 2005 and organized as an international partnership, Crossboundaries has offices in Beijing, Frankfurt and Berlin with staff originating from and trained in Asia, Europe and North America.

 

 

photo_credit Penda
Penda

9. penda designhouse

The design studio penda was established in 2012 by Chris Precht and DAyong Sun, an international office located both in Vienna and Beijing. Its credo is to consider architecture as a statement, and the studio's design process always begins with questions about content and context, identity, density and the community of a specific site. The studio considers architecture as a profession of interwoven disciplines and consequently it develops an innovative vision for social, functional and formal issues to create meaningful solutions for clients while also contributing to communities. Its portfolio includes Rising Canes, a modular pavilion designed for Beijing Design Week that explores the power of bamboo as a truly ecological, modular building tool.

 
 
photo_credit Chen Hao
Chen Hao

10. Vector Architects

Vector Architects pursues fundamental simplicity and logical clarity. It initiates the design process by identifying the key questions of the program and client needs, and by understanding the social, cultural, historic, climatic and urban context of each project. Its completed works include Luxelakes Floating Headquarters in Chengdu, China,  which consists of eleven standalone office buildings based on a series of horizontal courtyards and a vertical circulation system featuring green pockets at various levels.

 

 

photo_credit Wang Ziling
Wang Ziling

11. DnA_Design and Architecture

DnA_Design and Architecture is an interdisciplinary practice addressing the contemporary living environment, both physical and social, from scales small to large. Its approach to projects begins with research and discussion on context and program as the fundamental DNA for designing spaces that adapt, engage and contribute to the complexity of society. Its project for a series of public toilets in Jinhua Architecture Park takes the form of bent concrete tubes topped with openings to ensure protection, privacy, ventilation, natural lighting, and connections between users and the surrounding park.

 

 

photo_credit Fon Studio
Fon Studio

12. FON STUDIO

FON STUDIO was founded in 2016 by partners Jin Bo'an, Li Hongzhen and Luo Shuanghua, with a focus on balancing design aesthetics, products and the visual arts. Its portfolio includes Donghulin Guest House, a dark-colored residence reconstructed on a mountainside and built in the traditional local style to preserve the design of a previous building. The project's series of pitched roofs vary in height in response to the site's rolling topography.

 

 

photo_credit AQSO arquitectos office
AQSO arquitectos office

13. AQSO arquitectos office

AQSO is an interdisciplinary team of architects, designers and problem solvers dedicated to contemporary architecture, design, urban planning and research. Its philosophy combines a rigorous and pragmatic approach with an innovative attitude. It describes itself as a dynamic international practice that resolves architectural challenges through the use of innovative technology, craftsmanship and a fresh approach to solution-finding. One of its projects for a residential complex in Morocco, Connecting Riads, is defined by a continuous volume snaking around two semi-public courtyards. The building’s height adapts to the different conditions of the plot to offer a dual appearance that is both domestic and urban.

 

 

photo_credit UK Studio
UK Studio

14. DAGA Architects

DAGA Architects is a pioneering practitioner of urban renovation. Its projects include Metal Hands Coffee, the rehabilitation of an ancient building into a boutique coffee shop. The project was designed to restore the elegant and ‘leisurely’ lifestyle of the ancient Song Dynasty. The existing building was opened to the street with glazing and thresholds for increased permeability and public interaction, and the design makes use of crafted details and woodwork. 

 

 

photo_credit Schran Images
Schran Images

15. TAO | Trace Architecture Office

TAO | Trace Architecture Office was founded by architect Hua Li In 2009. TAO envisions architecture as an evolving organism, one which is inseparable from its environment. With most of its projects positioned in cultural and natural settings in China, TAO explores the essence of place to design buildings deeply rooted in their context with respect to local conditions. TAO's works include the Museum of Handcraft Paper, XiaoQuan Elementary School and Wuyishan Bamboo Raft Factory. The studio has been named a Design Vanguard by the Architectural Record and has been shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award.

 

 

photo_credit PLAT ASIA ndn lab
PLAT ASIA ndn lab

16. PLAT ASIA

PLAT ASIA was founded in Beijing in 2010 by Donghyun Jung and Bian Baoyang. It is an international team of architects and designers who share an oriental cultural background, practice contemporary oriental design, and who feel a mutual responsibility to carry forward eastern philosophies of nature in their architecture. The studio's portfolio includes the Weihe River Landscape Pavilion, a piece of public infrastructure within a restored riverfront ecological zone. The triangular A-shaped building is dotted with various terraces and openings which yield views of lush surroundings, and it houses a large, mirrored space which reflects the natural colors of the exterior greenery and skies above.

 

 

photo_credit Image Courtesy GKD Metal Fabrics
Image Courtesy GKD Metal Fabrics

17. Büro Ole Scheeren

Büro Ole Scheeren is an international firm that practices architecture, urbanism, interior design and research from offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, New York, London and Berlin. To date, Ole Scheeren has completed projects with a combined area of more than one million square meters. Its projects seek to be prototypes that engage new conceptual possibilities and explicitly manifest how the spaces in which we live and work can be reimagined. Its buildings have won awards including World Building of the Year, the inaugural CTBUH Urban Habitat Award and the global CTBUH Best Tall Building Award for the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing. Recently completed projects include the Guardian Art Center in Beijing, a hybrid arts space and the headquarters for China's oldest auction house.

 

 

photo_credit Commune One, Zhang Hetian
Commune One, Zhang Hetian

18. unarchitecte

Founded in Beijing, unarchitecte is an innovative group of young architects that has won several domestic and international design awards for its landscape and public projects. Its portfolio includes Luxelakes A8 POP, a dynamic experimental space which doubles as a large-scale art installation for an Expo Center on a waterside site. The project consists of five variously-sized bubbles which connect the site's undulating steps, tree pools, plants and water platforms.

 

 

photo_credit C+ Architects
C+ Architects

19. C+ Architects

Established by principal architect Cheng Yanchun and founding partner Li Nan in 2014, C+ Architects is a young and international architectural firm. C+ uses architecture as a medium for dialogue between man and nature. The studio has designed projects of urban renewal, rural revival, schools, museums, art galleries, offices, hotels, residences and factory renovations. C+ Architects has also participated in a series of arts and public activities related to urban and rural construction.

 

 

photo_credit Arch-Exist Photography
Arch-Exist Photography

20. RSAA/Büro Ziyu Zhuang

RSAA (formerly Rheinschiene architects) is an international architecture and urban design studio drawing from 50 years of practice in design, planning and construction. Combining the expertise of architects and urban planners, RSAA pursues an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to design, based on a comprehensive understanding of the planning process. Practical experience is supported and enhanced by international and domestic teaching and research activities. Its projects include the Cloud Maze, a pavilion installation in Shanghai made of metal mesh curtains hanging in circular paths from a structural frame.

 

 

photo_credit Haiting Sun
Haiting Sun

21. Atelier About Architecture

Atelier About Architecture was established in 2013 by Wang Ni and Zhang Dawei. The two founders are dedicated to innovative international design thinking influenced by the inheritance of traditional culture, to dispel the gap between cultures. Atelier About Architecture provides holistic and professional design services for architecture, interior, landscape, furniture and installations. It has completed projects including private art galleries, art studios, boutique hotels, restaurants, private houses and urban commercial buildings.

 

 
photo_credit Weiqi Jin
Weiqi Jin

22. TEMP

TEMP is a design studio which treats architecture simultaneously as an exploration and an expression of reality. In times of increasing conflicts of ambition, function, and place, the studio understands that it is critical to extract relationships and simple organizations through clear logic and processes. It constantly seeks forms of simplicity, exemplified in the stainless steel arcades which frame its project for the Olympic Park runner's station, a public utility where runners can meet, store belongings, buy drinks and shower.

 

 

photo_credit Wen Studio
Wen Studio

23. OFFICE AIO

Founded in 2014 Office AIO is a Beijing-based boutique design studio offering intimate design services ranging from architecture to interiors and custom objects. Founders Tim Kwan and Isabelle Sun believe in the importance of wholesome, balanced, tasteful and thorough spatial experiences. Office AIO strives to develop genuine, original solutions that not only answers a client's practical design objectives, but which treat unique conditions imposed on a project as opportunities rather than constraints.

 

 

photo_credit Sun Haiting
Sun Haiting

24. DL atelier

Under the direction of principal designer Yang Liu, DL atelier has designed diverse spaces in Beijing and other cities in eastern China. DL atelier is the recent winner of the Architecture MasterPrize in the cultural category for its Sanbaopeng Art Museum, a building located in China's porcelain capital and which celebrates the history of porcelain production. The project features interactive spaces and 150 meter-long loam walls which appear to grow from the earth.

 

 

waa | we architech anonymous focuses on realizing spaces that respond to emotion and the natural world, while considering geographical and cultural references. The sudio's projects include a recent transformation of a series of refurbished 1970s industrial buildings in Beijing into a playscape for sensory learning. A network of large pipes containing walkways and bridges wraps around this community center with brightly colored yellow floors, designed for a children's healthcare provider that specializes in exploration and play.