Multidisciplinary studio Neri&Hu has converted an office and staff dormitory building in Shanghai into its own architecture and design offices named No 31.
Part of a former industrial complex in Shanghai's Jing'an Temple area, the block is the latest building that Neri&Hu has converted into its own offices as the studio has expanded since it was formed in 2004.
Neri&Hu converted a former dormitory into its own architecture studio
"For us, there is always some value to be found in these urban artefacts that are closely interwoven with the fabric of the city," explained studio founders Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu.
"Even if they seem unremarkable, they bring a sense of continuity that something created from a tabula rasa could not offer," the pair told Dezeen. "No. 31 is a culmination of many 'obsessions' we've been exploring in our practice since day one. The renovation strategies employed are based on the notion of 'reflective nostalgia', as a way to honour history and heritage without having to recreate it literally."
The studio occupies the building's upper two floors
Neri&Hu aimed to make small interventions in the building to make it useable as an office space for the studio with additional spaces for the wider design community.
On the facade, the studio partially filled in the windows with glass bricks to change its proportions without having to make structural changes. The top half of the building was painted grey, while th...