KAI Innovation Office Complex

We began by exploring the symbiotic relationships between academia, commerce, and community, seeking to create a shared public space for knowledge exchange, communal interaction and showcase/exhibition. Within a very compact site and under the 60-meter height restriction, we proposed an innovative “co-shared” integration concept.

The design opens up the building frontage with a central courtyard, allowing a public landscape to climb in. This dramatic architectural gesture creates a landmark. A multi-level stepped landscape runs from the ground floor to the fifth floor, linking various zones, including dining terraces, social steps, performance plaza, and knowledge gardens, etc., providing a new work & leisure experience for office workers and surrounding communities.

The project’s spatial strategy integrates urban connectivity and functional efficiency. Dual lobbies on the east and west provide access for pedestrians and vehicles, while a dedicated plaza on the east side connects seamlessly to the adjacent civic green belt, accommodating subway commuters and retail visitors. The west side entrance serves vehicular traffic, linking directly to drop-off areas, public parking, and underground carparks.

This vertical and horizontal interconnection reimagines the traditional tower form into a series of stacked and offset blocks. Office spaces are layered across the eastern and western wings, interconnected at higher levels to form continuous loops, creating flexible spatial options for companies of various sizes and development stages. The lower floors cater to co-working spaces, with a signature double-height glass bridge linking the two towers while upper floors serve small and medium-sized enterprises as well as corporate headquarters. The courtyard interior walls feature shared functional pods and platforms, that could be used as meeting rooms, lounges, lecture halls, meditation space, gym, cafe, sky garden or even observatory deck overlooking the university, offering
diverse layouts to meet each tenant’s specific needs.

Materiality reinforces the design’s ethos of integration and contrast. Astrip-pattern design with varying size and proportion was adopted for facades, plaza paving, and landscape furniture, forming a unique urban aesthetic. The inner facade of the central courtyard was designed with earthy brown grilles, contrasting with the light silvery metal exterior facade while outlining the core’s contours. Warm-toned wood accents on the courtyard steps provide a welcoming touch, inviting office workers, university students, and local residents to come in for interaction.

The open courtyard allows social interaction and visual linkage within the building, it also maximizes natural light and ventilation, reducing energy consumption for cooling and lighting. A sophisticated window wall facade system features a combination of vertical 45-degree louvers and angled aluminum panels to optimize shading and reduce solar heat gain.

Structurally, the building uses a hybrid system combining castin-place reinforced concrete with prefabricated components, streamlining construction and reducing onsite labor. The steel truss connections between towers support large-span spaces, enabling flexible interior layouts that adapt to future needs.

Designing within tight site constraints and height limits demanded a creative balance between program, functionality and form. Extensive analysis of market trends and users’ needs, and thorough studies on massing and unit typology informed the project’s final layout, while collaborative discussions with the client ensured alignment with broader objectives. With the global pandemic and the economic downturn, a systematic value engineering process was established to prioritize items for further optimization of the design. These challenges were overcome through close coordination between the design, project management and construction teams, ensuring cost-effective delivery and timely within 1500 days.

Since its completion, Hangzhou KAI Innovation Office Complex has quickly achieved full occupancy, even amid economic challenges. Its design has redefined the concept of mixed-use workspaces, creating a 24/7 social hub and knowledge exchange platform that serves different types of entrepreneurs, university students, and local residents. While enhancing region vibrancy and strengthening the sense of belongings of the community, the project has successfully redefined office tower typology by creating diverse work and living scenarios, setting a new benchmark for mixed-use office complex.