We talked about things heating up in the Pearl River Delta in a recent post, and it’s not just in the region’s main cities where modern lifestyle manifests in many forms. Foshan is situated only an hour’s drive away from Guangzhou, and although it’s dwarfed by the latter in terms of population and GDP, it pitches in with one China’s leading hi-tech economic zones. The region’s fast-paced transformation into what’s likely to become the planet’s first mega city, affects every nook and cranny, and is also clearly visible here. The Zhaoyang O Cube, a soaring monolithic structure in the heart of Foshan, bears all the hallmarks of urban redevelopment, featuring high-end apartments for young urban dwellers, office space, and on ground floor level, plenty of shops. Perched on the upper floors is an eponymous, newly opened workspace that ticks all our boxes.

Designed by local architecture practice Black Home, the venue occupies 1,450 sqm. (15,608 sq.ft.), and makes shameless use of its concrete shell. Upon entering, a latticed reception desk and matching backdrop is the first section visitors encounter, followed by a lounge with comfy sofas. An abundance of protruding light fixtures and two large canvases add visual drama to the otherwise austere setting. Left and right of the reception desk runs a corridor leading to all of Zhaoyang O Cube‘s other spaces, and overhead, extending in the same directions, a band of colourful tubes run along the ceiling, each one leading to a specific section. Next to rooms with workspaces along the corridor, the place also features an auditorium that’s flanked on both sides by glass-encased meeting rooms.