Located within a cultural and creative park in Cuigezhuang Town, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Songmont Space by ARCHSTUDIO is an architectural experiment in reinterpreting traditional spatial relationships. Designed for Songmont, a brand known for its emphasis on aesthetics and function, the space extends beyond the role of a commercial showroom to become a dynamic environment for exhibitions, receptions, meetings, and product launches. ARCHSTUDIO’s intervention seeks to transform an existing industrial structure into a layered, experiential space that challenges conventional perceptions of interior and exterior boundaries.
Songmont Space Technical Information
- Architects1-5: ARCHSTUDIO
- Location: Cuigezhuang Town, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
- Area: 695 m2 | 7,480 Sq. Ft.
- Construction Year: 2024
- Photographs: © Jin Weiqi
ARCHSTUDIO conceived the design with a concept of ‘Frame Courtyard’, breaking the boundaries of traditional space through a series of thoughtfully designed frames.
Songmont Space Photographs
Conceptual Framework: The “Frame Courtyard” Strategy
ARCHSTUDIO’s design is anchored in the “Frame Courtyard” concept, a strategic response to the historical courtyard typology and the functional needs of a contemporary retail-exhibition hybrid space. The project reinterprets the void as an active architectural element, where a series of meticulously proportioned frames break conventional spatial hierarchies and redefine the user’s engagement with the environment.
These frames serve multiple functions:
Structuring views: By layering thresholds, the design curates visual perspectives, drawing attention to curated objects and framing interactions between visitors and exhibits.
Modulating daylight and ventilation: The strategic placement of frames allows for natural illumination, while carefully integrated operable elements support passive ventilation strategies.
Blurring spatial thresholds: The interplay between framed portals and semi-open enclosures creates a spatial continuity that challenges the rigid dichotomy of inside versus outside.
This approach draws from Eastern spatial philosophies, where perception is carefully choreographed through framed views, reminiscent of traditional Japanese engawa spaces or Chinese garden pavilions. However, ARCHSTUDIO’s execution is distinctly contemporary, leveraging minimal material articulation to heighten the focus on void, perspective, and transition.
Songmont Space Material Strategy
The project site was originally a single-story industrial factory with a steel truss structure, reflecting the utilitarian nature of its past. Rather than erasing its industrial identity, ARCHSTUDIO integrates new spatial interventions that respect and augment the existing framework:
- New insulated walls improve thermal performance while serving as an aesthetic device to create clean, continuous planes.
- Hidden rainwater gutters refine the roofline, eliminating visual clutter and reinforcing the project’s commitment to architectural clarity.
- Ceiling modifications introduce funnel-shaped skylights, filtering daylight into the space and elevating the atmospheric quality.
Material choices further accentuate the spatial experience by balancing raw industrial textures with refined contemporary finishes:
- Black microcement flooring introduces a subtly reflective surface that resonates with the water feature in the courtyard, forging an abstract connection between earth and sky.
- Beige stone accents on walls, countertops, and railings introduce a tactile warmth, reinforcing the project’s emphasis on sensory engagement.
Timber and metal details in select framing elements contrast against the muted material palette, emphasizing the rhythm of structural articulation.
These material choices heighten the project’s phenomenological presence, where light, texture, and proportion converge to create an architecture that is both rigorous and evocative.
Framing Perception and Experience
The act of framing in architecture has long been associated with both functional delineation and conceptual exploration. From the portals of classical antiquity to Le Corbusier’s architectural promenade, framing serves as a device for structuring movement, defining spatial relationships, and emphasizing moments of stillness.
In Songmont Space, ARCHSTUDIO leverages framing not just as an organizational tool, but as a medium for spatial storytelling:
- The entry sequence initiates a gradual space unfolding, where visitors are guided through nested layers of visual fields.
- The courtyard’s reflective water feature captures and distorts framed perspectives, offering an ever-changing dialogue between solid and void, sky and ground.
- Operable louvered panels around meeting rooms and display areas provide an adaptive framing mechanism, adjusting visibility and privacy based on programmatic needs.
Songmont Space is within a growing typology of hybrid spatial environments, where the boundaries between retail, exhibition, and hospitality dissolve into a singular, cohesive experience. This reflects a broader architectural shift—a move away from static, monolithic programs toward flexible, adaptive spatial models.
By employing framing as an aesthetic and functional strategy, ARCHSTUDIO ensures that Songmont Space operates beyond commercial imperatives, instead engaging with spatial perception and architectural interaction discourse.
Songmont Space Plans
Songmont Space Image Gallery
About ARCHSTUDIO
ARCHSTUDIO is a Beijing-based architectural firm founded by Han Wenqiang. It is known for its innovative approach to spatial design, which merges contemporary minimalism with traditional Chinese architectural principles. The studio emphasizes adaptive reuse, material sensitivity, and spatial fluidity, often integrating natural elements to create immersive environments that redefine the relationship between architecture and its surroundings.
Credits and Additional Notes
Chief Designers: Han Wenqiang, Li Xiaoming
Designer: Wang Tonghui
Structural Consulting: Zhu Chang’an
MEP Consulting: Zheng Baowei, Li Dongjie, Li Zhongjuan
Construction Firm: Beijing Jingyu Decoration Co., Ltd.
