Developing office building design

This thesis project is a developing office building, designed for a start-up company. One character of the company is that its main projects serve China, but there are also few local projects. The main goal of this architecture is to provide a convenient and changeable place for this start-up company.

There are a few disciplines during design process:

1. The building has a round shape and blocks add on when it grows.
2. In the middle of the building, it is a fixed courtyard which covered by skylight.
3. The blocks are in modules and the rooms function can be changed as needed.
4. The roof at the early stage of this architecture can be used as floors in the future.

The site is located in the suburban area of Washington DC, which next to the Rock Creek Park.

Surrounding buildings mostly are traditional residential architectures,with sloping roof and brick walls.This site is only 3 blocks away from the main street. Therefore, the site can provide an urban context which means clients and employees can easily get into. But people do not need to afford too high price for the land. What's more, people can enjoy a pretty view while working.

The building has the steel frame as the primary structure and concrete covering for the floor slab. For the elevation, the adjustable wood panel and curtain walls are used to balance with local sun orientation.