Salix is a workspace and business incubator building typology developed as a feasibility study for a leading Chinese coworking operator. The commission explored a purpose-built architectural model that could support expansion across China's Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities while establishing a recognisable identity for future deployment in North America and Europe.
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Reference
01
A building identity developed from a cultural reference.
The commission asked whether architecture could become part of the client's identity rather than relying primarily on branded interiors within leased office buildings. The weeping willow became the project's reference because it combined cultural meaning with architectural potential.
In Chinese tradition, the willow is associated with resilience, adaptability and renewal, qualities that reflect the role of a workspace supporting emerging businesses. The reference also offered continuity as the network expanded internationally. Familiar throughout North America and Europe as well as China, the willow provided a shared point of recognition while maintaining a clear connection to the client's origins.
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System
02
One reference becomes a repeatable architectural system.
Each Salix building is composed of clustered cylindrical volumes that step in height to form a distinctive silhouette. Circular floorplates remove the hierarchy of front and back, allowing the typology to respond to different urban conditions while remaining legible from every direction.
The facade translates the willow's hanging branches into an environmental system. Vertical shading elements support overlapping leaf-shaped panels that reduce solar gain while establishing a consistent architectural language across the network.
The typology was developed as a flexible family of buildings. The number, height and arrangement of the cylindrical volumes can adapt to different sites, planning conditions and programme requirements while preserving the underlying architectural logic.
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Resolution
03
Recognition through architecture.
Salix embeds identity within the building itself. The same cultural reference generates the massing, environmental envelope and public presence, allowing each location to respond to its own place while reinforcing a coherent architectural language across an expanding international network.
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