Pixseed Academy

JSPA Design designed the spaces of an institute of digital arts in Beijing in a former sugar factory whose structure inspired the project and offered the possibility to add a third floor.

JSPA Design, Pixseed Academy, Beijing 2017
The project, for an institute of digital arts, takes place in an old sugar factory building located in Beijing. Made of a combination of brick and steel, the existing structure has an interesting materiality that had to be revealed; all plaster or covering board were removed and the texture of the old materials, used as a guide line in the project.
Facing the insufficient height to create a necessary additional floor, the ground was excavated a meter lower revealing the concrete foundations of the steel structure and a mezzanine was created on the northern part of the building. The southern part, on double height becomes the main lounge area, gathering the different functions of reception, bar and rest area. These functions are unified in a single concrete made element, a long bar, settled in order to hide the emerging foundation blocks.

 

The entrance space is also where the vertical circulation is organized and in order to connect visually and physically the three floors of the building, a large atrium was created and open flight of stairs run from the lobby to the last floor. Part of the circulation system, a bridge crosses the void and highlights the bar. The atrium is also the place where vegetation is growing, creating an interesting combination between white structure and the green plants. Each floor’s plan is centered on the public atrium with meeting rooms, teacher rooms and working spaces organized around it and from the lower level to the top there is a gradation in the use of materials: the ground floor uses hard and rough surfaces with a pixelized pattern made of shades of grey stones, while the last floor is essentially covered with wood surfaces as well as the roof which uses OSB plywood boards.

The design was also focused on how to create privacy between different spaces without using physical barriers. On the third floor, a series of specially designed benches integrating vegetation planters allow to create a subtle separation in the space. Floor or ceiling material interchanging is also used for this purpose.


Pixseed Academy, Beijing
Program: school
Architect: JSPA Design
Principal: Johan Sarvan
Area: 4,000 sqm
Completion: 2017

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