Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations,” reads a quotation on a glass wall next to the entrance of The Garage—B+ Automobile Service Center in Beijing, located on a relatively quiet downtown backstreet. While this insightful saying could refer to the company’s business, it might also allude to the creation of its unique base of operations, which houses offices, meeting rooms, an auto repair shop, a café, and a rooftop parking lot. For more than two years, the Shanghai-based firm Neri&Hu Design and Research Office transformed the site, a 361-foot-long, three-story decommissioned missile factory built in the 1950s, into a contemporary 29,000-square-foot space that is both welcoming and functional. The architects preserved the original brick structure—the main hall still features tracks for soldering missiles—and added a system of “boxes” supported by steel girders to accommodate a car elevator, a mezzanine, and two top floors reinforced to support the weight of equipment and numerous vehicles.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.