Located in the coastal city of Xiamen, the Xinhee Design Center is a corporate complex for the international fashion group Xinhee and its six subsidiary brands. The building is designed by MAD Architects as a living system, with a skin-and-bone structure that explores a reciprocal relationship between inside and outside.
Work on MAD Architects’ Xinhee Design Center has been completed after almost seven years of construction. Located in Xiamen, a port city on China’s southeast coast, and built for the international fashion group Xinhee and its six subsidiary brands, the project unfolds around a main atrium, with six curved petals emerging from a central core. Occupying almost 61,000 m², its architecture defines a flexible and innovative workplace, blurring the boundaries between what is built and the surrounding natural landscape, and bringing people together. This is achieved through a star-shaped layout and a generous amount of semi-transparent polymer, organically rotating around the six branches. The coastal city of Xiamen is characterized by a subtropical climate, which influenced the design. To protect the interior from the strong sun and ensure ventilation during the hot season, the structure is clad in a translucent envelope resting on a metal skeleton, made up of a series of slender diagonal supports. In addition to solar protection, which reduces light transmission by 60%, this lightweight skin gives the façade a friendly, breathable design, appearing like a floating veil. At the center of the building, the atrium imbues the workplace with a green garden and water features, creating a seamless transition with the surrounding landscape. The designers opted for openness and permeability, generating visual communication between floors and departments, and fostering an open meeting point for staff and visitors alike. An automatic cloud-shaped window at the top of the hall allows air to circulate throughout the building. A catwalk hovers above and connects the various programs, while also acting as a catwalk for occasional fashion shows. Living walls and green spaces intertwined with work areas create a constant connection between inside and outside.
