Construction site photos of our utility project in the megacity of hashtag#Dongguan in the hashtag#PearlRiverDelta; a cultural center and municipal office combined. Currently, work is being done on completing the façades, the interior, and the publicly accessible landscape. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2025. With Superimpose Architecture we are responsible for all phases until DD and site supervision.

Happy Chinese New Year! 新春快乐！
Today marks the final day of the Year of the Dragon, and we welcome the arrival of the Year of the Snake! While the snake is often seen as mysterious and cautious, it also symbolizes calmness, resilience, and resourcefulness. As we step into this new year, let us take inspiration from these qualities—ushering out the old and embracing new opportunities with wisdom and grace. Superimpose Architecture wishes you all a prosperous and fulfilling Year of the Snake!

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As 2024 draws to a close, we’re proud to reflect on what this year has brought to Superimpose Architecture. We (almost) completed four significant projects and are gearing up for an exciting new venture in the Netherlands in 2025—more updates to follow! Additionally, we’re excited to unveil our rebranding in the new year.Huawei Flagship StoreThis year, we completed Huawei’s flagship store in Beijing, a minimalist space designed to offer an immersive product experience. Following this successful project, Superimpose signed a long-term collaboration with Huawei to ensure brand consistency across their products and reseller spaces.Eurostar UK TerminalThe new Eurostar UK Terminal is complete, with the first train set to depart on February 9th. This project brought together an exceptional team of consultants, contractors, and clients. It has been a seamless and rewarding collaboration—one we wish every project could emulate!The Cultural ShiftOur cultural center and two office clusters, spanning a total of 20,000 sqm, are nearing completion. These spaces will provide a library, theater, art center, and creative workspaces, enriching the local community.Clubhouse VankeWe delivered 7,000 sqm of public and commercial facilities featuring a stunning 7-meter cantilevered canopy inspired by the local bayan trees. This design adds both vibrancy and elegance to the neighborhood.May this Christmas bring you joy, and may 2025 be filled with exciting new opportunities!

Site Progress Update! Our Cultural Center and two office building clusters in the vibrant Pearl River Delta are nearing completion, with a total GFA of 20,000 m². Situated within a high-density urban masterplan, this low-rise mixed-use development is thoughtfully designed around a spacious green courtyard, where planting is yet to commence. Superimpose Architecture has managed the project from concept to detailed design (DD), including site supervision.

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To differentiate the residential entrance from the publicly accessible retail area, we have designed a distinctive 7-meter cantilevered canopy that hovers gracefully above the drop-off zone. Inspired by the elegant Bayan trees native to the region, this canopy serves as a shelter, shielding residents from the subtropical climate while evoking a sense of boutique hotel sophistication. __ Photographs by @creatarimages

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The new Eurostar terminal at #Amsterdam Central Station is progressing rapidly, with several site visits already completed. In the photo, the team is seen reviewing the terrazzo flooring and timber frame construction.

Co-founder Carolyn Leung had the honor of representing Superimpose Architecture at the 2024 Shanghai-Rotterdam Sustainable Urban Regeneration Seminar during the visit of Mayor of Rotterdam Mr. Aboutaleb in Shanghai. The event was exceptionally well-organized by Rotterdam Partners and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Shanghai. It was a privilege to showcase Superimpose Architecture, a design practice rooted in both China and the Netherlands, to the distinguished delegations from Shanghai and the Netherlands. The seminar was also attended by esteemed representatives of Dutch creative firms such as MVRDV, UNStudio, INBO , KCAP, LOLA Landscape Architects, and MLA+.
The event extended into an evening networking reception at Fotografiska Shanghai, celebrating the 45th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Rotterdam and Shanghai. Both Mr. Aboutaleb and Mr. Zhou Hanmin delivered warm and reaffirming speeches, highlighting the strong friendship between the sistercities.

Superimpose Architecture is pleased to announce the expansion of our portfolio into the southern region of China, specifically Guangzhou. While the entire development is still under construction, we have already completed the main entrance of this residential development. Photographs by @creatarimages

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We have completed the Huawei flagship store in the historic center of Beijing. The design aims to welcome visitors without being overly elaborate or decorative and is focused on creating an optimized space for Huawei, fostering, and appreciating the digital ecosystem. Photographs / Kris Provoost

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Superimpose has completed an imaginative and transformative design for a newly developed community complex in Nanjing, China, infusing it with a 'Community Oasis' theme.

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Superimpose has completed an imaginative and transformative design for a newly developed community complex in Nanjing, China, infusing it with a 'Community Oasis' theme. A key element of this design is the inclusion of six-meter-high brass tree installations strategically placed in the central atrium. These installations serve the dual purpose of introducing a human scale to the voluminous space and acting as a captivating focal point for visitors.

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New Project under construction for Superimpose Architecture! We have been busy working on a cultural center in the #PearlRiverDelta in Southern China as part of a larger mixed use development for the developer Vanke. We designed not only the Cultural center, but also the masterplan and a series of highly flexible office buildings. Pictured a visualisation of the main entrance facade of the four story cultural center that is designed as a series of floating volumes with lush roof gardens.

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The community mountain invites the users to ‘climb’ all nine levels of the building through a central circulation space that branches out to all public functions and from indoor to outdoor. Protruding floors and shifted volumes create publicly accessible spaces such as covered walkways, wide and open staircases, connecting bridges and leisure terraces.

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For the office and product experience center of a sofa and curtain fabric manufacturer, Superimpose designed a smart plan layout working hand in hand with an innovative system of cabinets. These cabinets are simultaneously serving as separator between space, storage space, kitchen, and product display of the curtains and other fabrics. In fact, the entire space has become an experience center.

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The major design challenge was to create an office interior that was not only meant for working but also serves as a showroom, event space, workshop-space and a place where people might want to work on their way to their next destination.

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The major design challenge was to create an office interior that was not only meant for working but also serves as a showroom, event space, workshop-space and a place where people might want to work on their way to their next destination.

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The simplicity of the repetitive structural ‘A’ frame creates a bold gesture in the valley. On-site workshops and physical models by the architects were used as communication tools to teach the local villagers how to realize the design.

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The construction Micr-O is a good example of time-and-cost-effective design. Superimpose used locally reclaimed pinewood for the structure and for the wooden decking and a re-useable tent canvas cover, making the project fully circular.

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Besides our published ongoing projects, we’re currently working on the technical design stage of 3 large confidential projects which will start construction in 2023: a flagship store, a cultural center with office park and a mixed use development including clubhouse and sports facilities. We can not wait to share more news and images of these projects very soon!

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The golden stainless steel central element in this space subtly reflects the skyline and naturally forms a backdrop to all spaces of the members club. Photos by @archmospheres

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An abstract representation of six famous wine regions is installed underneath a glass floor with automated light. Superimpose designed the maps and constructed them by using concrete ash mud for the topography and stainless steel for the rivers. Photos by @archmospheres

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Dark mirror-glass sliding doors reflect the skyline and hide the ‘Sky Cellar’ during daytime. Also it protects the wines from direct sunlight and allows club members to admire both the wine and skyline whilst being inside the wine cellar. At sunset and during evening hours, the wine cellar lights up and reveals the 500 wine bottles to the main space. Photo by @archmospheres

The Sky cellar is a wine ’cellar’ on the top floor of a skyscraper in Beijing. We designed this exclusive hidden members club with a tea room and ‘Sky-cellar’ for a wine enthusiast back in 2018. Photo by @archmospheres

Together with our consultants we spent a lot of time on good quality renders and physical models to visualise our designs. Pictured is a Cultural Center proposal for the city of Hangzhou. Which one do you prefer, the model or the render?

We have a few exciting projects under construction. One of them is the design for the facilities and lobby for a service apartment tower. In the interior design, we emphasized the dramatic existing structural elements by creating a rhythm of high arches throughout the space.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We didn’t win the bidding for this showroom design for the property developer Vanke in Hangzhou, but we still think it could have been a winner.

photographing our completed Sky City project in Hangzhou. Sky City is a large scale mixed-use Transit Oriented Development (TOD) with offices, retail and subway arrival. We are looking forward to release the project soon!

Our co-founder, Carolyn Leung, will be speaking at the Architects, Not Architecture event on the 18th October in the Vondelkerk Amsterdam, together with two distinguished female architects: Ellen van Loon and Liesbeth van der Pol. Save the date and looking forward to seeing you there!

At the intersection of the two long linear ‘floating’ acrylic ceiling boxes we integrated a small auditorium for social gatherings.

In the conference center, two long linear ‘floating’ acrylic ceiling boxes with artificial light resemble the glass skylights of the shopping arcade and mimic the color and intensity of natural daylight along the two main circulation axes. The light boxes also have an immediate visual impact in the basement and serve as a clear indicator for circulation.

A large floating oval shape frame has various types of light integrated that helps to make the transition from outside to inside more pleasing to the eye.

Each modular portal comes with its own respective functionality, such as a large auditorium. The seating in this auditorium is organized in a semi-circle that runs the entire length of the space to create a forum-like setting.

Each modular portal comes with its own respective functionality, such as a large auditorium. The seating in this auditorium is organized in a semi-circle that runs the entire length of the space to create a forum-like setting.

For a repeat commission after our Y-Loft City was completed we proposed a modern-looking, open, and bright loft interior suitable for and focused on the Y-generation.

The transformation theatre is given a more open and public character. At the corner of the building, a publicly accessible outdoor theatre will be integrated. Also, it's possible to fully open parts of the facade on the ground floor to blur the boundary between in and outside.

Transformation projects are one of our favorite type of projects, we have converted factories into cultural centers, shopping malls into co-working and pictured the floorplan of our design for the transformation of a theater in Hangzhou.

Pictured our design to transform an old, rundown theatre in Hangzhou's city center into a new theatre typology that suits the current era.

Context is key at Superimpose. The condo project 'Heritage Curve' in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is designed to be a reflection and reinterpretation of the current urban environment in order to establish a more coherent balance between the existing city fabric and the city fabric of the future.

The rectangular 'CO2 Pavilion' frames two neglected trees in a parking lot and made them the centerpiece of the installation.

Superimpose Architecture designed the 'CO2 Pavilion' for the Beijing Design Week as an enclosed place for contemplation and as a tridimensional projection screen for multi media projection on the layered exterior.

The facade of 'The Valley' makes use of a grid with minimalistic detailing to emphasize the 'leaning' gesture of the massing. The setback depth of the glass is depending on the solar load of the facade.

We love accessible rooftops: A sloping public park covers part of the retail in our 'Valley' project in Hangzhou.

Now lean back! The tower massing of this project is leaning to visually enlarge the green and public park in between the buildings and to simultaneously provide a comfortable arrival situation to the towers at its periphery.

Which option do you prefer? For a mixed-use project in Hangzhou we developed two distinctive options: The first option pictured is named 'the Valley' and is inspired by the mountains and valleys in Zhejiang province. Swipe for the second option, 'the Skygardens' which features ten large floating roof gardens.

A top-view picture of the physical model of our 'Micr-O' education center and camp in Hangzhou: One of our all-time favorite projects!

This is the second collaboration with multimedia designer Shard Island after our CO2 Pavilion. We took the concept of integrating design and multimedia one step further with 124 interactive LED light fixtures arranged in 4 horizontal bands that converts real-time presentations into abstract colors on the exterior curved wall.

Superstrategies is a lecture series initiated by Superimpose Architecture to question how to put design forward as a profession of critical thinking. The series encourage presenters to discuss design projects beyond their visual appearance, elaborate on decisions made during the design process, and share how the design outcome responds to a particular problem statement.

The 'Paperless Pavilion' says goodbye to paper waste. The 'Paperless Pavilion' is an integrative design that allows for small-scale live presentations and discussions, and online and pre-recorded offline video presentations to substitute the typical large-scale and non-targeted presentations, cardboard posters, pamphlets or booklets.

The Paperless Pavilion project is a collaboration with the Dutch Consulate, multimedia designer Shard Island, and light innovator and supplier Signify. Superimpose designed the 'Paperless Pavilion' to challenge conventional methods of presenting content in expositions.

The appearance of the Sky City tower in Hangzhou is defined by a repetition of vertical elements. These aluminum 'fins' are perforated and allow for an innovative natural ventilation concept to comply with the sustainability requirements.

The podium of our Sky City in Hangzhou is architecturally defined by shifting slabs that provide terraces or canopies for the lower levels. Strategically placed staircases and escalators connect the basement to the upper floors and ultimately to the pedestrian bridge on level 3, which is connecting to the adjacent cultural plot.

Rooftop with a view! From the main loop of the H2O project, it's possible to access even further onto the crayfish ponds by walking along one of the boardwalks, which stick out into the ponds like tentacles.

The circular shape of 'H2O' is 'Superimposed' on an existing dyke situated between two different types of crayfish ponds. With its remarkable but prominent location, the project promotes interaction between farmer and visitor.

After the first site visit Superimpose decided to locate the new 'H2O' experience and education center as close to the crayfish farming location as possible by placing it on a dyke that divides two crayfish ponds. Pictured is the arrival situation and existing dyke.

Project we like: H2O is a new visitor and experience center in Hexi, initiated to promote the agricultural area and crayfish farming in Jiangsu Province, China. The repetitive wooden structure of 'H2O' gives the building a clear and recognizable framework.

We are delighted to share that Co-founding Partner Carolyn Leung has been selected among the 40 best Designers under 40 in China! Congratulations Carolyn!

No more dark Subway arrivals. Superimpose used the green belt zone of the Sky City project in Hangzhou by partly excavating it to get more daylight in the otherwise dark basement of the subway arrival. By doing so, the design offers the commuters a unique, pleasant, green and smooth transition from subway arrival to the urban development.

We love green! Pictured is a top view of one of the sunken courtyards of our Vanke Sky City. It shows how public green is integrated in this development providing a lush urban heart for the community.

Photo of our Vanke Sky City showing how we've integrated green in this development to provide pleasant and healthy public spaces. The project received LEED for Communities: Plan+Design Platinum Pre-certification.

We just received the first photos of our almost completed Vanke Skycity TOD project in Hangzhou. Our largest built project, but also one of our greenest is nicely coming together with crisp facade detailing and dramatic volumetric gestures.

The Skycellar is hidden behind the bespoke mirrored sliding doors, while the aluminum wall hides the cabinets for wine glasses, decanters and other wine related attributes.

The Skycellar is an exclusive members club and hidden wine cellar for a wine enthusiast on the top floor of a Beijing tower.

Superimpose wins ICONIC award with Y-Loft City!

Shifting slabs at different heights create public elevated squares and viewing platforms.

The Living Bridge community center has multiple long bridges connecting four buildings with different functions over multiple levels.

A colored staircase zigzags across all five floors of the community center project creating a multilevel streetscape.

This axonometric diagram shows the main design strategy for the Re-Veil factory transformation: investigate the original distinctive elements of the factory and insert minimum architectural interventions.

The east side of the original factory facade was concealed by a dense grid wall structure of an office extension. Superimpose proposed removing all the interior subdivisions of the extension, revealing the original factory facade and structure of the extension and made this the main entrance of the Exhibition Centre.

Superimpose embraced the original architectural qualities of the factories by overlaying them with carefully considered and minimalistic modifications and interventions.

Superimpose designed the 'Re-Veil' and saved industrial heritage from demolition. Due to economic pressure, the client of this project and local authorities planned a completely new urban development on this site, ignoring the actual added value of the factory heritage. The concept of cultural heritage as added value to the surrounding developments, owned by the same client, generated vision alignment and convinced both authorities and client to preserve and revitalize the heritage into a 'Cultural Hub'.

Co-founding partner, Ruben Bergambagt, presented four ‘superstrategies’ in the work of Superimpose Architecture at the Interni Magazine design talk in Guangzhou. As part of the design talk series, Ruben explained how we use our strategies to design healthy spaces, new living models for a circular economy. Superimpose presented alongside with Kokai Studios, Akeatek Design Studio and Gensler.

The red staircases become the iconic highlight of the building promoting physical exercise and social interaction.

By designing the Well Living Lab in such a way that it reflects and adapts the WELL standards in the simplest and most effective way, Superimpose aims to contribute and facilitate improving health and wellbeing for future office and residential developments in China and beyond.

In order to create an open reconfigurable plan-layout which allows for different experiment conditions and to optimize sun-exposure, both escape stairs together with building core are placed at the northern side of the building. These building elements together with a canopy and rotatable rooftop lab are designed as individual elements and together express a 'plug-in' massing concept.

Superimpose's responsibility was creating a WELL and LEED certified building and to use low-tech solutions to create a flexible and optimized environment to facilitate and conduct research.

The Well Living Lab in Beijing is a Sino-American collaboration between Delos, Mayo Clinic and Sino Ocean Group, bringing together building science, behavioral science and health science. The Laboratory will provide controlled and simulated indoor environments that mimic indoor office environments and residential living spaces to conduct innovative human-centered research. The goal is to improve the impact that indoor environments have on human health, wellness, comfort, and performance.

Superimpose completes the WELL Living Lab: an adaptable Lab for human-centered research. One of the many things the recent epidemic situation has taught us, is that our buildings and interiors should become healthier, more adaptable to changing situations and that they should promote physical and mental well-being. Indoor wellbeing has been Superimpose's focus already since 2016, when designing Asia's first WELL Living Lab in Beijing.

The fabric of the ‘Shadow Play’ is sculpted as a cone suspended from the ceiling to allow shadows to be casted differently. Together, the cones form an architectural composition.

As part of the Beijing Kids Design Week, Superimpose designed 'Shadow Play’. An installation meant for the young and for the adults to be playful.

Carolyn Leung presented four key projects by Superimpose architecture at the premier of the Netherlands Cultural Institute Online at the Aranya Art Center. We are very delighted to be invited by the Dutch embassy, Dutch Culture China, and share the stage with Next Architects and MAT Office.

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Throughout the year, kids from Hangzhou and Shanghai will camp and learn about nature at Micr-O and allow them to be part of a rural micro-community.

The external corridor blends with the surrounding bamboo forest and offers an alternative circulation route while activities are happening in the central patio.

Superimpose's Micr-O helps raising awareness about sustainable farming and promotes healthy living and outdoor activities. Micr-O is not only a learning platform for city dwellers, but it also supports a bottom up strategy to sustain farmers by promoting organic food production. Superimpose and the Sun Commune share the ambition to implement architecture as a tool for positive social change.

The white canvas 'ring' houses camping accommodation subdivided into segments by the three entrance points. A local canvas supplier donated the white canvas which illuminates at night creates a beacon in the bamboo valley.

Co-founding partner Carolyn Leung presented four key projects by Superimpose at the Roca Gallery in Beijing. As part of the Continuous Reflec(a)ction lecture series, the lecture is to raise awareness towards how the built environment can shape and improve our ever-changing living environment.

Superimpose designed a human-centered, accessible and sustainable business, exhibition and trading landmark in Ningbo. The site is located along a new 'Central Park' on the East, and a canal on the North and will be connected to the Pan Pacific Hotel located on the West of the site. Superimpose's design recognizes the importance of the site in the new district and applies programmatic strategies to create a well-balanced and interconnected function-mix in between the project site and surrounding sites.

Ningbo is known to be one of China's most important trading cities and Ningbo-Zhoushan is among the busiest ports in the world. From ancient times the rivers and sea near Ningbo were filled with typical Chinese sailing boats that once transported goods across the seas. These sailing boats were used as a source of inspiration for the project: The towers are situated as 'sails' on an elevated deck of retail whereas the new conference center carries a white screen curved facade reminiscent of the sails of these Chinese sailing boats.

Inside the pleasant and well-shaded courtyard, large floor openings open up the development towards basement level one. Together with the first and second floor, this basement level composes what Superimpose calls the 'three ground floors'. This concept results in a dynamic interplay of levels which blurs the notion of a standard ground floor.

Superimpose designed a human-centered, accessible and sustainable business, exhibition and trading landmark in Ningbo. The unique design promotes a pedestrian friendly realm coexisting with a smart retail strategy, efficient tower location and smart play layout. The design - which is called 'the Ningbo Sails' referring to Ningbo's maritime past and present - was awarded second place out of eleven invited high-caliber contestants.

Superimpose used reclaimed materials to build Micr-O. Almost all building material is sourced from local and old demolished barns. The white semi translucent canvas reveals the reclaimed wood structure at night.

Micr-O is an elevated kids education camp building, keeping the ground nearly untouched and thus minimizing the manmade impact on the valley.

Micr-O's central outdoor patio creates an enclosed platform to host learning activities and events. The white canvas 'ring' houses camping accommodation subdivided into segments by the three entrance points. The external corridor blends with the surrounding bamboo forest and offers and alternative circulation route while activities are happening in the central patio.

Inside the Tai Yang Valley, the Sun Commune is a local initiative raising awareness of sustainable farming and promoting healthy living and outdoor activities. In the valley, Superimpose designed Micro-O, an education platform for the kids living in the surrounding cities, to learn about nature and to be part of the rural micro-community.

Superimpose breaks with conventional residential planning in Chinese industrial hinterland by creating three towers that reshape the living community for the post 80s generation.

A loft-concept has been applied in order to achieve more living space per square meter and a variety of unique balconies have been added to each residential unit in order to provide identity to the tower and valuable outdoor space to each inhabitant and unlike other nearby developments.

Superimpose responded to the context in both macro and micro scale with simple tools in order to improve usability, livability, general appearance, and connectivity with the surrounding community. The plan layout intentionally opens up to the surrounding sites with schools, a hotel, cultural hubs, a hospital and the Re-Veil, a factory renovation also designed by Superimpose Architecture.

Superimpose convinced client and government to deviate from the standard approach in order to stand out and differ from classicistic European-style drab residential developments that are dominating the new-built residential skyline in China's hinterland. Most importantly the design challenge was to target and appeal to a young generation.

Y-loft city photographed by @creatarimages located nearby a local street market. How should designers and clients collaborate and cherish existing cultural resources to create a new social life, new integrated communities and a new normal in the Chinese hinterland. This is a challenge Superimpose will continue to explore in the future.

Y-loft city photographed by @creatarimages located in its surrounding context of former bearing factories and local housing.