Sparch Relocates To Raffles City

July 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Sparch has relocated its Beijing studio to Raffles City, the iconic mixed-use project it designed and built for Singaporean developer CapitaLand.

The 30-strong team from Sparch leaves its previous location in a converted boiler room for the 10th floor of the Raffles City Office Tower.

Raffles City comprises 150,000 sqm of offices, retail, serviced apartments and residential accommodation at the junction of Beijing’s East 2nd Ring Road and Dongzhimen Neidaijie. The ideal location takes advantage of direct links to Asia’s largest transport hub at Dongzhimen.

Recently shortlisted for the Best Chinese Project at the 2009 MIPIM Asia, Raffles City’s design has attracted international acclaim for its iconic public spaces.

Quickly becoming a centre of public life in Dongzhimen, Raffles City’s main square is animated by a colourful play of light pixels framing a large public LED screen. Inside, the shopping mall features an unusual cantilevering structure nicknamed the ‘Crystal Lotus’. This crystalline structure encloses a series of feature cafes as it rises spectacularly from the basement food court to support a sweeping glass roof.

Jan Clostermann, Sparch’s Beijing studio director said, “The completion of the project in 2009 marked a milestone, both in terms of the quality of projects taking place in Beijing as well as Sparch’s expertise and commitment to the region. We originally came to Beijing to design Raffles City making it the natural location from which to base our growing studio.

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Sparch is an award-winning international architectural consultancy that has been building and designing in Asia for 10 years with proven expertise in urban planning, architecture, landscape and interior design.

Following the success of the Singapore Clarke Quay Redevelopment in 2005, Sparch is now delivering a diverse range of landmark projects across Asia, each seeking to offer new experiences within the urban environment. Its portfolio of major projects includes the Raffles City Beijing mixed-use development, Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, and residential developments in Abu Dhabi and Hyderabad, India.

Sparch has gained a worldwide reputation for originality and rich expression, and has won architectural design awards in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, China and Singapore.

Sparch operates from offices in Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.sparchasia.com.