The city of Macheng is rich in resources with large mineral reserves of basalt, marble, and silicon and large deposits of jade, gold, silver and copper. The Macheng Eco Stone Manufacturing Co. Ltd. processes these materials into natural stone cladding panels and floor tiles. The business has expanded rapidly over the past decade, necessitating the construction of a new head office.

The building is required to epitomize their status as one of the main natural stone production companies in Hubei province. At the same time the building was to be kept inexpensive and simple, wary of any unnecessary excessivity. This resulted in a robust and solid design clad in self-produced basalt tiles. The new office is actually an extension of this area’s first construction, a small information center for the local development built by the company. This block is symbolically cut out of the north west corner. It opens up most of the interior towards the plaza allowing for employees to enjoy the lake view and vice versa giving visitors a first impression of the workforce of around 120 people.

Special attention is given to the daylighting design. Summers in central China are relentlessly hot so a minimum of direct incident sunlight is required while a maximum of daylight is desirable to avoid the need for additional lighting. Recessed windows with size and direction based on their orientation that pierce through the solid facades meet these requirements.

Another cost saving measure is the absence of a basement floor. Storage and control rooms are housed on the first floor, while all major installations and equipment are put on the roof. The ground floor is mainly used for reception of guests and show a variety of the company’s finished products. The upper floors contain a mix of open work space, private offices and meeting rooms. A fully glazed cantilevered volume on the fourth floor accommodates the directors’ offices . On the top floor a skylit canteen offers views in all directions and access to a small roof garden.

Year: 2015
Client: Macheng Eco Stone Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Size: 5.000 m2