Sparch Relocates To Raffles City
International architect moves Beijing studio to award-winning development it designed
Online, July 7, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Sparch has relocated its Beijing studio to Raffles City, the iconic mixed-use project it designed and built for Singaporean developer CapitaLand.
The 30-strong team from Sparch leaves its previous location in a converted boiler room for the 10th floor of the Raffles City Office Tower.
Raffles City comprises 150,000 sqm of offices, retail, serviced apartments and residential accommodation at the junction of Beijing's East 2nd Ring Road and Dongzhimen Neidaijie. The ideal location takes advantage of direct links to Asia's largest transport hub at Dongzhimen.
Recently shortlisted for the Best Chinese Project at the 2009 MIPIM Asia, Raffles City's design has attracted international acclaim for its iconic public spaces.
Quickly becoming a centre of public life in Dongzhimen, Raffles City's main square is animated by a colourful play of light pixels framing a large public LED screen. Inside, the shopping mall features an unusual cantilevering structure nicknamed the 'Crystal Lotus'. This crystalline structure encloses a series of feature cafes as it rises spectacularly from the basement food court to support a sweeping glass roof.
Jan Clostermann, Sparch's Beijing studio director said, "The completion of the project in 2009 marked a milestone, both in terms of the quality of projects taking place in Beijing as well as Sparch's expertise and commitment to the region. We originally came to Beijing to design Raffles City making it the natural location from which to base our growing studio.