Guangzhou X-ROOM Creative Office Space is situated within the TIT Creative Park and serves as an online platform office for a fashion clothing company.
To offer employees a comfortable and inviting workspace, the design team incorporated trendy architectural elements such as glass, terrazzo, and mirror-finished stainless steel. These materials address challenges like limited space and poor lighting in the 20-year-old building, while exploring modern office solutions that foster harmony between people and their environment.
Space Size: 55m²
Unique Features
The site of the TIT Creative Park was originally the Guangzhou Textile Machinery Factory, established in 1956. Located in the city center, the iconic “Little Waist” landmark is visible overhead. The park retains elements of the textile machinery industry alongside lush greenery, attracting numerous fashion brands, designers, artists, and innovative companies. The WeChat Guangzhou office also chose this serene location.
△ Front facade after renovation
The original Guangzhou X-ROOM office occupied a 20-year-old building with an entrance facing the square and a panoramic interior view. The outdated décor, insufficient lighting, and lack of design made the space feel uninspiring.
Owners in the fashion industry understand the significance of quality office hardware and environment. They believe that “like attracts like”; a stylish, dynamic office attracts employees with taste and creativity. A refined, aesthetically pleasing environment encourages individuals to pursue their aspirations subconsciously.
To honor the natural beauty surrounding the site, the owner aimed to revitalize the old building, achieving a seamless blend of modern office functionality, fashionable lifestyle, and natural ecology.
Before renovation
The renovation reoriented the first-floor entrance. The original doorway was converted into a glass curtain wall display, featuring a minimalist, avant-garde gray terrazzo space to showcase the company’s fashion image and latest designs.
Walking through the corridor between the display window and a low red brick wall, the entrance gains privacy.
After renovation, the entrance now offers enhanced privacy.
The 55-square-meter first floor serves multiple functions including image display, recruitment, reception, employee leisure, and executive office. The designer skillfully balanced tension and relaxation in the spatial layout to meet all the owner’s exacting needs.
△ Floor plan after renovation
To the left of the entrance, a dramatically scaled staircase runs through the space, enhancing the interior’s three-dimensionality. Despite the small footprint, this design element gives the first floor a lofty feeling without any sense of confinement. Large fashion posters can be displayed on the upper levels to showcase current trends.
△ The oversized staircase enhances the interior’s spatial depth
Originally, this staircase was an outdoor wrought iron structure — unattractive and inconvenient, especially on rainy days, which made access uncomfortable for office staff.
△ Original floor plan showing the oversized staircase that was originally an impractical outdoor feature
Thanks to the designer’s innovative transformation, decay was turned into brilliance: a glass curtain wall was added and the staircase relocated indoors, greatly enhancing stairway comfort for staff.
Sunlight and greenery flow freely through the glass curtain wall, creating a bright, transparent interior layout.
The design features several remarkable architectural highlights:
The indoor staircase maintains much of its original structure, but is wrapped in extensive mirrored stainless steel on handrails and beams. This creates a complex spatial illusion that visually expands the area, effectively “stealing” extra space in a compact building and making the environment feel open and comfortable.
Basic building materials like glass curtain walls, mirror stainless steel, and terrazzo are simple, yet through clever design, they engage in a dynamic dialogue with the spatial geometry, giving the building a distinctly avant-garde and fashionable character.
Material Interaction: Terrazzo, Stainless Steel, and Glass
Given the fashion industry’s sensitivity to color, the main space features a palette of beige and light gray terrazzo. This combination is simple, elegant, classic, and durable, coordinating well with seasonal fashion themes.
Terrazzo was also selected for its waterproofing and sun protection qualities. It is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and resistant to aging, ensuring the building maintains a fresh appearance over time.
△ Off-white and light gray terrazzo create a timeless, durable fashion space
One side of the staircase is customized with terrazzo to form a bar counter, ideal for work meetings and employee relaxation. Underneath the stairs, restrooms and mini storage rooms have been installed, maximizing the limited space effectively.
Bar counter, restroom, and mini storage beneath the staircase optimize space utilization.
Behind the storefront on the first floor lies a compact 7-square-meter mini office, used for reception and recruitment interviews.
An open round-arched doorway wrapped in stainless steel adds a trendy flair while maintaining an open, smooth spatial flow. A semi-open wall separates this office from the showcase area to improve air circulation and cleverly address spatial limitations.
A compact 7m² office cleverly uses semi-open walls to address spatial constraints.
Modern Office in Harmony with Nature
Ascending to the second floor, employees find a fully transparent water bar area offering views of the surrounding greenery—a perfect spot for relaxation during breaks.
Decorative elements are subtle to avoid distracting employees. The three-dimensional geometric ceiling adds an avant-garde touch.
△ Four-sided transparent water bar provides a relaxing space for employees
Adjacent to the water bar is a glass room designed with a relaxed and comfortable style, matching the fashion industry’s temperament. Its transparent, open design keeps the office bright and airy.
This glass room functions as a lounge, phone booth, or simple reception area for visitors. Serving as a transitional zone between leisure and work areas, it acts as an elegant spatial partition.
The glass room provides a versatile space for rest, phone calls, and guest reception.
The office area accommodates 50 people, featuring an open-plan design to encourage communication. Glass and mirror partitions visually expand the space.
All lighting is LED with intelligent dimming, designed to save energy and reduce emissions while allowing different lighting moods based on various scenarios.
△ Open-plan office layout encourages team communication
△ Second-floor floor plan
Conductive glass partitions separate the conference room from the office area. When frosted mode is activated, privacy is ensured by blocking sightlines. When switched off, transparency returns, reflecting the flexibility of modern office work.
Flexible modern office work enabled by conductive glass in the conference room
The fire escape near the conference room entrance retains its original bright yellow color, adding a surprising visual element. This staircase leads directly to the mezzanine’s independent corridor and serves as a smoking area. This “leftover” space is cleverly repurposed to create diverse rest zones and preserve an “inspiration space” for employees.
Diversified rest areas make full use of mezzanine space
Outside the second-floor water bar is a small garden terrace. Artificial stone installations blend with the building’s exterior, enhanced by lighting to add a contemporary vibe while serving as a bar counter.
This versatile garden terrace can host small press conferences and serves as the ideal spot for staff gatherings and parties.
△ Garden terrace suitable for fashion press conferences and staff events
Through meticulous spatial planning, the designer expanded the small office to meet diverse functional demands. By reinterpreting fundamental materials like glass, stainless steel, and terrazzo, the design resonates with the fashion industry’s spirit and aesthetic pursuit.
Using energy-efficient, eco-friendly materials and cutting-edge office technologies, this project sets a model for modern, sustainable office design. By deeply integrating architectural techniques with human needs, it creates an office environment where people and nature coexist harmoniously.
The successful transformation of this once dilapidated building has made Guangzhou X-ROOM a sought-after destination for new internet celebrities, earning prestigious awards such as the 2019 AMP American Master of Architecture Award and the 2019 London Design Award.
Project Information
Project Name: Guangzhou X-ROOM Creative Office Space
Design Agency: Focused on Spatial Design
Lead Designer: Yu Yan
Contact Email: __AI_S_SC0__
Completion Date: February 2019
Project Location: Guangzhou TIT Creative Park
Project Area: 350 square meters
Photography: ZETA
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