SHH’s brief was to create well-proportioned, individually lettable cellular offices and exploit the striking 4.7metre high height of the existing buildings structural ceiling and 55 metre width. The team took an ‘urban’ approach to the design by developing a grid of primary and secondary circulation routes, or ‘streets’, which divided the floor into smaller urban blocks, with each block consisting of offices and meeting rooms, the ‘buildings’, at varying heights and footprint sizes.

The design team carried out a study of local Shanghainese vernacular architecture to understand how large zones could be broken down into smaller cellular ones that meld density, privacy and intimacy with a sense of discovery. This was an important part of the design which fosters networking and collaboration between businesses Over the desk, a large Barrisol ceiling was installed to provide a uniform ambient light.

The reception ceiling theme which carries through into the C22 café and lounge area, features a series of hanging planters installed over the counter and seating area creating connections with the landscape outside.SHH carefully selected materials and furniture which gave the space an urban but welcoming feeling.

A mixture of concrete, granite, and brick combined with touches of greenery and pebbles are utilised throughout. More domestic materials are soft, tactile and patterned, introducing colours drawn from the set of primary and secondary palettes that form the graphic identity of the Cohesion brand.