Today, we want to introduce to the multifunctional Powerlong Ideas lab designed by Shangai-based X+Living office. This project, that includes a commercial space, as well as research areas and offices for the Powerlong group, wants to encapsulate the 21st Industrial Revolution.
With the advent and popularity of computers, the invisible Information Age deduced and changed the humanity and commercial mode of this physical world. Powering Ideas Lab hopes to be a lab where more information for learning are created and spread. Also, by hoping to complete the joint research and development of information technology by their creators and consumers, it explores the hidden business value of this era through a multifunctional space.
But there is no iconic symbols for Information Age as nowadays our perception is conveyed only by the amount and efficiency of information that is invisible. This is why X+Living looked into the industrial heritage of the past: plants facilities with oil tanks and steel pipes had become an important symbol of the Industrial Revolution age as well as the hidden power that starts the capitalist world system.
A contemporary minimal approach is at the base of the whole space. The designers cut off the complex parts and kept only the most basic functional ones such as the iconic tanks. In the ground floor, these devices become “reaction tanks” that offers new retail experiences for consumers. On the upper level, instead, they become suspended platforms where researchers and development staff can share the space to work.
The idea here is to create a multifunctional composite office and commercial model, where R&D staffs can share the space while consumers can enjoy the same art space.
Clean and cool concrete embodies the efficient character of the space while dark pink elements add a sense of playfulness, reminder X+Living‘s fantasia for Neobio Family Park.
We become more and more aware everyday how the contemporary technologies are changing the way we live, work and interact and, above all, how much they are merging with humans’ physical lives. In the last weeks, we have been showing you some examples of how this new era is opening its way, particularly in China. An example is the new Heyshop retail store, which is structured around an integrated approach formed by online and offline realities, the so-called OMO.
If you are interested in knowing more, follow the link and discover it here!
All pictures by Shao Feng.
