In Shanghai, the new workspace of Attila&Co: a building from 1923 that rediscovers all the charm of its history, contributing to the construction of a hybrid identity in the contemporary city

The atmosphere of an authentic Shanghai of the past are still encased in the precious grid of the lilongs, the narrow streets of the historical city. Many have vanished, but others have survived the sweeping changes of urban development, without succumbing to the advance of skyscrapers and temples of luxury shopping. This atmosphere can be clearly grasped in the new headquarters of the international communication agency Attila&Co, which carves out a space inside a typical courtyard building rooted in the Chinese architectural and urban tradition, in the large panoramic historical area of Hengfu.

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The intimate outdoor space paved in black and white marble mosaic reinterprets the historical model of the courtyard building of the oriental tradition, organizing a centripetal dynamism towards the entrance in relation to the design of the large windows and segmented glass doors and the stringcourse decorations in dark, intense wood on all sides.

Between art deco and modern contaminations

The construction, consisting of two merged buildings, was built in 1923 during the period of the French Concession and, over the course of almost a century, has maintained its original position and identity, welcoming art deco elements and more contemporary influences. "It is curious to discover from the satellite maps from 1948 to today, how many nearby buildings have been demolished, modified, rebuilt, but not the House of Attila", explains Andreina Longhi, founder and CEO of the Milan-based communication agency since 1981. .

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The intimate outdoor space paved in black and white marble mosaic reinterprets the historical model of the courtyard building of the oriental tradition, organizing a centripetal dynamism towards the entrance in relation to the design of the large windows, intense wood on all sides.

Beauty and authenticity

“Who knows, perhaps it was the result of the intolerance of the former owner, or the protective attitude of the local residents. We like to interpret this immutable persistence as a refuge for beauty and authenticity: a destiny involving our encounter with the place. Those who have known, visited and loved our first office-showroom on Yongnian Road will find the same passion for the true China here. That of simple people, of the life that flows in every alley, where behind every door you can glimpse young and old people, always busy, always with big smiles that go straight to the heart.”

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White, luminous, dominated by the pale wood of the furnishings and the herringbone wood floors, the spaces of the agency’s offices are inserted in the two lateral wings of the building at ground level.

Timeless charm

Packed with stories from the past and those yet to happen, the Attila space extends for about 438 square meters on two levels, around a classic courtyard-garden of the oriental tradition. It has been refurbished with sensitivity and respect, down to the smallest details, by Nathan Hou/Nothing Studio. “We wanted to protect the timeless charm of the Shanghai Shikumen style in a building that is almost 100 years old, using salvaged materials and modern techniques to connect past and present, the functional needs of a workplace in the Internet era and the values of a different culture,” says the designer.

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Though separated from the central welcome zone (with Barcelona chairs by Mies van der Rohe, Knoll), the spaces of the agency’s office communicate thanks to the segmented glass partitions that reinvent the traditional style of the external façade in a modern spirit.

Complex relationships

The successful dialogue between languages and traditions immediately urges visitors to grasp all the nuances, layers and complex relationships. After the entrance with its marble frame cut into a perimeter wall in brick, with alternating gray and red tones to underscore – in the Chinese style of the past – the threshold between public and private space, those who enter find themselves immersed in an introverted garden-courtyard surrounded by plants with solid roots and vivid green leaves, set off by the black and white figurative motif of the mosaic paving.

 

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The offices on the ground floor.

Shapes and symmetries

This axis of reference of the narrative pathway interacts with the elevations of both the buildings, placed in a symmetrical way with respect to the central façade with the entrance. The façades feature large windows and glass doors, with segments framed in solid wood salvaged from dismantled buildings, and stringcourse decorations in dark, intense wood, continuing on all the sides, examples of the exceptional craftsmanship of oriental architecture. The correspondences between forms and symmetries become constant motifs, which are also mutable in the internal space. The offices created in the two lateral wings of the building on the ground level, though separated from the central welcome zone, communicate with each other thanks to glass and white partitions that echo – in a modern tone – the geometric grid of the outer façade.

 

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Accessed by means of a large staircase with a glass parapet, the upper level set aside for events is an evocative open-plan zone permeated by games of light and shadow created by the geometric grid of the pillars and beams below the renovated pitched roof. Lamps by iGuzzini.

Natural light

What changes is the tone of perception of the rooms, dominated by pure white on the walls and the pale wood of the furnishings, in tune with the golden hues of the recycled wood floors assembled in a herringbone pattern. The forceful contrast to the material-chromatic palette of the exteriors produced an effect of contracted fluidity, enhanced by the natural light that penetrates the internal and perimeter glazings, updated with custom double glass to improve energy efficiency in the spaces equipped with climate control systems.

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The upper level dedicated to events.

Spatial dilation

The mood shifts again on the first floor, where the opening of the walls on both sides of the corridor produces an effect of spatial expansion, immediately perceived after passing the glass parapet of the internal staircase. In what has become a single dematerialized open-plan area of great visual impact, besides the light the other protagonist of the story is still wood, with a grid of tall pillars setting the pace of an area of about 150 square meters for relational activities and events. The upper level is discreet and secluded, almost secret, surrounded by roof tiles and boasting a small balcony in classical style outside, taking on the prestigious role of a lounge: the most private space, full of retro details and decorative elements that pay homage to the Italian identity of the mother company.

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The secluded space of the lounge, enhanced by an antique chandelier in blown glass from the Milan headquarters of Attila&Co.

Bright decorations

Like the marvelous chandelier in blown glass from the Milanese headquarters of the agency, which establishes a new dialogue with the solid wood of the original salvaged beams of the suspended ceiling. The most welcome guest of all is sunlight. “At any time of day, the light enters silently, even mischievously, through the squared pattern of the windows in dark wood,” Andreina Longhi remarks, “producing natural decorations that enchant visitors and accompany the working day.”

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The secluded space of the lounge: here the idea was to juxtapose Italian design icons and local crafts in time.

Project Nathan Hou / Nothing Studio - Photos courtesy Bono Yan

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