Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026
GAFA Changgang Admin Bldg Design Office Space Design
by Tong Xin Cai
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,083
- Verification code B616E424C3 · Verify this award
About GAFA Changgang Admin Bldg Design Office Space Design
GAFA Changgang Admin Bldg Design is an interior renovation of the administration building at the Changgang Campus. The project covers about 3600 square meters of interior space in a building of four floors. The design preserves the iconic arch of the original structure and adds mirrored ceilings in mirror-finished stainless steel, porcelain-white walls, alloy steel elements and cool lighting. Limited ceiling height and poor natural light are addressed through reflection and visual extension. Historical symbols are joined with modern materials.
TongXin Cai's GAFA Changgang Admin Bldg Design Office Space Design emerges within the distinguished lineage of contemporary institutional architecture that synthesizes late modernist structural expression with thoughtful considerations of human scale, material authenticity, and luminous spatial experience, positioning this interior environment as a significant contribution to educational and creative professional workspace design traditions that prioritize both functional clarity and contemplative atmosphere conducive to focused intellectual and artistic endeavor, the compositional achievement operates through a masterful orchestration of intersecting white-finished structural beams against raw concrete ceiling planes, establishing a geometric armature that simultaneously expresses tectonic logic while creating visually compelling pattern relationships that reward sustained observation and varied viewing positions throughout the space, the chromatic restraint demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how limited palette can amplify spatial perception and material presence, allowing the subtle warmth variations within the concrete surfaces and the precise reflective quality of the polished floor to achieve heightened visual significance against the dominant white structural members, technically the work reveals accomplished integration of load-bearing structural systems with aesthetic intention, where beam intersections become compositional focal points rather than merely engineering necessities, suggesting close collaboration between architectural vision and structural resolution that characterizes exemplary built environment design, the introduction of human figure traversing toward an arched portal creates compelling scale reference while activating narrative potential, transforming static architectural documentation into implied journey and suggesting the experiential quality of moving through such environments where views unfold sequentially and architectural elements reveal themselves progressively, thematic resonance connects to enduring concerns with how designed spaces support human creative endeavor, contemplation, and collective intellectual life within institutional frameworks, the arched doorway introduces historical memory and curvilinear softness within the predominantly rectilinear vocabulary, perhaps suggesting dialogue between contemporary practice and longer architectural traditions of creating elevated spaces for learning and creation, viewers might consider how the interplay of weight and lightness, density and void, precision and atmosphere creates environments that both shelter practical activity and inspire elevated states of attention and creative possibility
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- 1.The design draws inspiration from inheriting and reinterpreting the historical symbols of the GAFA Changgang Campus Administration Building. By preserving the iconic arch, introducing mirrored ceilings and porcelain-white walls, it addresses spatial constraints and poor lighting, creating an elegant, transparent, and pristine atmosphere. The fusion of tradition and innovation endows the public space with renewed value.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Interior area: approximately 3600 square meter
Building area: 4 floors, 4000 square meter - Tags
- Archway Mirror Inheritance Innovation Clean
- Production Technology
- The key challenge of this project was enhancing indoor lighting and ceiling height while preserving the original structure. To address this, we employed mirror-finished stainless steel materials. The installation of the mirrored ceiling and ensuring its flatness presented the most difficult aspects of the project. After installing the ceiling joists, the factory safely transported the mirrored ceiling panels to the site. Welding components connecting to the joists were then attached to the back of the stainless steel panels. Using a hoist system, the panels were lifted into place and installed.
- Design Challenge
- The creative and research challenge of this project lies in balancing the continuation of historical architectural symbols with the infusion of modern design language within limited spatial and contextual constraints. It requires preserving iconic elements such as arches while employing innovations in mirrors, light, and materials to address cramped space and insufficient lighting, ultimately achieving harmony between tradition and modernity.
- Project Duration
- From July 2023 to November 2023, completed.
- Operation Flow
- Through mirrored reflection and spatial extension, combined with arch symbols, porcelain-coated finishes, alloy steel structures, and cool lighting, the design achieves symbolic implantation, visual guidance, and spatial optimization in environmental renovation.
- Research
- By adopting design approaches such as mirrored ceilings, porcelain-coated finishes, and alloy steel structures, the project addresses issues of insufficient lighting and low ceiling height. Through inheriting the historical style while embedding modern symbols, it creates an elegant, transparent, and pristine spatial atmosphere, reinforcing the unity of functionality and aesthetic value.
- Inspiration
- The design draws inspiration from inheriting and reinterpreting the historical symbols of the GAFA Changgang Campus Administration Building. By preserving the iconic arch, introducing mirrored ceilings and porcelain-white walls, it addresses spatial constraints and poor lighting, creating an elegant, transparent, and pristine atmosphere. The fusion of tradition and innovation endows the public space with renewed value.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer TongXin Cai, Plastic Memory, 2023.
Image #2: Photographer TongXin Cai, Plastic Memory, 2023.
Image #3: Photographer TongXin Cai, Plastic Memory, 2023.
Image #4: Photographer TongXin Cai, Plastic Memory, 2023.
Image #5: Photographer TongXin Cai, Plastic Memory, 2023.
Video Credits：ZeKai Lao, 2023. - Patents
- A modular door frame for rapid installation and removal. ZL 2024 1 1965976.2. TongXin Cai. 2025. China.