Although we are well known as a highly regarded architect in London, the work we do is not exclusive to the city. We’re always happy when our reputation sees our services called upon from clients around the world, and it’s fantastic when we are able to see our global architectural work carried out and completed. The most recent example of this was our Cloister project in Qingdao, China.

Qingdao is the home of Tsingtao Brewery, whose Tsingtao Beer is arguably the most successful of the beers that China exports around the world. The city itself is known for being an immersive, unique blend of Chinese and German architecture. Although Germany only had a controlling presence in the region for less than twenty years in the early 20th Century, the building and construction they engaged in was prolific. The contrasts between the two very different cultural perspectives on architecture are stark yet successful.

Our task was to deliver an ambitious urban working place which stood boldly in its own right, yet worked well with the existing features of the area. The Cloister is some 400,000 square feet, which is the same size as London’s Broadgate Tower. It was a challenge that we were certainly ready to face, with our skills being the perfect match for the ambitions of our client.

We are proud of the fact that we achieved a real sense of linear connectivity with the Cloisters. The aim was to deliver different functional spaces, including offices, auditoriums, a restaurant and gardens, in a way that provided clear boundaries and definitions yet harmonised well together. This was a project which tested our vision and skill to the full, and our versatile team delivered work which met the functional requirements of the project and enabled the finished building to perfectly blend in with its environment.

Our flight took us past the Cloister, allowing us the welcome chance to see our work from both the sky down and the ground up. We hope you take the opportunity to look at the project on our site.