The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 2 of 32The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 3 of 32The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 4 of 32The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick, FacadeThe Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - More Images+ 27

Shanghai, China
  • Design Team: Mo Chen, Jiaxi Du, Sheng Lei, Lei Guo
  • Client: Shanghai Vanke
  • Collaborator: Shanghai Shuishi Architectural Design & Planning Corp. Ltd
  • City: Shanghai
  • Country: China
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The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 2 of 32
The added facade approach is to minimize demolition of origional facade. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN

Text description provided by the architects. Vi PARK, formerly known as Shanghai Greater China Zhengtai Rubber Factory, is located at 1391 Humin Road, Minhang District, Shanghai. In 2019, tripartite cooperation among Huayi Chemical Industry, Shanghai Vanke, and Minhang Longsheng decided to transform it into a comprehensive office park. We created a "labyrinth" on the façade, connecting several office terraces unexpectedly to each other, breaking the order of office floor compartments and creating a new social scene.

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography
maze wall on the woods. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN
The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick, Facade
wall maze. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN

Imagine a place like this: between work, you walk out onto the office terrace, where you can get some air, and you can also string up a conversation with the company next door. The ups and downs of the labyrinth's path are accompanied by the greenery close at hand, looking across to the woods, to the next terrace, and to the far side of the city. If you want to drag out your lazy lunch break a little longer, you've got a legitimate reason for being late: "Boss, I just got lost in the wall."

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 3 of 32
terraces on the wall. Image © UK Studio

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 12 of 32
original terraces are integrated as a part of the maze. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN

The idea of socializing on the wall comes from New York's outside fire escape stair parties. Anyone who has seen the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" will remember the song "moon river" by Audrey Hepburn.

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Facade
starting point of the wall maze. Image © UK Studio
The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 4 of 32
platforms. Image © UK Studio

In our case, it is not only for egress, but also has an abundance of fun to navigate. Nearly half of the paths are hidden, and from the outside, the platform paths seem to inexplicably break off, creating a maze "Wall Maze". To minimize changes to the original structure, the wall is a layer of perforated aluminum panels added out. It is also intended to leave some possibilities for future climbing plants or unit planters.

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
the maze is the same height as the trees. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 17 of 32
crossing stairs on the wall. Image © UK Studio

The factory building next to the labyrinth wall is directly in front of a square, which is an excellent venue for street-level display surfaces as well as for holding events. We designed several balconies in conjunction with the open window locations, whose baffles serve as logo signs for the brands of the incoming companies. The façade looks like it has been lifted off, picking out a huge canopy that serves as a gray space for square activities.

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 24 of 32
overlayed shadows on the old wall. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN
The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Image 21 of 32
the pathway. Image Courtesy of XING DESIGN

This shape is a tribute to the original shape of the factory façade. We hope that the façade renovation will not only innovatively shape the new appearance of the building but also bring new scenes of use to the space.

The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
facade night view. Image © UK Studio

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Project location

Address:No. 1391 Humin Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "The Wall Maze of Vi Park / XING DESIGN" 08 Jun 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/983192/the-wall-maze-of-vi-park-xing-design> ISSN 0719-8884

© UK Studio

华谊万创·新所迷宫墙 / 行之建筑设计事务所

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