Wood Magazine - Issue 1, 2019

Photo: Jin Weiqi

The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.
Photo: Jin Weiqi

The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.
The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.
Photo: Jin Weiqi

The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.
The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.
The treelike structure is created by posts and beams with a length of three, four or six metres and a width of two metres. Clustered columns not only ensure a more stable structure, but also make a visual impression, creating a greater sense of space.

Offices beneath the treetops

Estate agency in Puyang, China by Luo Studio

In many countries, estate agents work from pop-up sales centres on the site of a new housing development. The Chinese real estate agency in Puyang had two wishes: their new temporary office should be quick to erect, at a reasonable price, and be reusable in another location. The agency focuses on buyers who are interested in green living, and that was to be reflected in the architecture. Inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall in Chicago, the architects from Luo Studio created a structure using only three elements: posts and beams in locally produced word are supported by a lightweight steel structure, all tied together with steel fixings. For practical reasons, the floor is concrete, but the rest of the building can easily be dismantled. Splitting the building into smaller units and prefabricating all the materials for these meant that construction took just two months.