WELL Living Lab by Superimpose Architecture as an Innovative Research Center

Anabata Media · October 23rd, 2022

WELL Living Lab is a collaborative project between Superimpose Architecture and several Chinese and American companies, aiming to increase architecture's role in human health, fitness, comfort, and performance. This project creates a comfortable and healthy space for a center for innovative human research.

WELL Living Lab by Superimpose Architecture.

As the name implies, this laboratory was designed by Superimpose to meet the WELL certification, which focuses on human health and wellness in a building. Furthermore, WELL Living Lab is expected to support the creation of flexibility and optimization of the office and residential environment in the Shunyi district, Beijing, which is the context of its location.

Building core and exterior stairs is part of the 'plug-in' concept.

In its design strategy, Superimpose began to build a healthy space by arranging its program in an open plan. A floor plan like this will help the configuration of the laboratory space to be more experimental and optimally capture sunlight which can improve its spatial quality. In addition, the 'plug-in' concept was also applied by Superimpose Architecture in forming this three-story volume.

There is also a canopy connected to the exterior staircase on the other side, which are part of the 'plug-in' concept.

Elements such as cores, exterior staircases, canopies, and roofs, are added to the main volume to support the overall function of the building. On the north side of the laboratory, the core of the building with concrete cladding is tasked with accommodating service and MEP functions, including the 'hidden' elevator. Superimpose admitted that they did it because they wanted to shift the idea of making the elevator the main circulation of a building.

The bright red exterior staircase on the west side of the building.

In the northeast corner of the laboratory there is also a glowing red exterior staircase.

Instead of using the elevator, WELL Living Lab users are encouraged to move a lot by walking up the exterior stairs as a vertical circulation. The building features two exterior staircases in a striking and iconic red color scheme on the northeast and west sides of the building. The hope is that this eye-catching design can make stairs a part of a building that encourages physical exercise and social interaction.

WELL Living Lab has a facade that matches the surrounding buildings.

Furthermore, other elements included in the 'plug-in' concept are a canopy at the laboratory entrance and a roof that can be rotated 360o. The canopy offers protection from the heat during the day for the ground floor of the building, while the swivel roof houses a laboratory for comprehensive research.

The facade of the building consists of an internal curtain structure, an external curtain, and electrochromic glass.

Finally, for the facade of the WELL Living Lab, Superimpose designed it with a cassette system that can allow adaptation to the surrounding context and retain architectural features within. The system is composed of a structure of internal curtains, external blinds, and electrochromic glass, which produces a final look that is in harmony with the surrounding buildings.

Axonometric drawing of site plan.