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RICHAUS is an 8,000 m² mixed-use and commercial project in Chongqing, China, completed in July 2024. Vari Architects adapted an overlooked office building into a proposed cultural hub, using a metal-screened exterior and a central public stair to connect spaces for culture, work, exhibitions and commerce.
What is RICHAUS?
RICHAUS is located in Liangjiang Sino-Swiss Industrial Park in Chongqing. ArchDaily lists the project at 8,000 m² and dates it to 2024; the detailed project account gives July 2024 as its completion date, after design work began in May 2024. ArchDaily · gooood
Vari Architects describe the work as the adaptive reuse of an overlooked office building. Their stated aim was to make it a public cultural hub connecting culture, community, industry and commerce, with space for brands, architecture and design studios, content creators and creative agencies. This is the architects’ intent; the published accounts do not provide independent measures of the building’s social or economic impact.
How did Vari Architects transform the building?
A metal veil at the exterior
The project account describes a metal curtain or veil defining the exterior. At the entrance, a sliding metal element creates changing conditions between open and opaque. The Organhaus space has a custom foldable gate. These features make the building’s edge adjustable rather than presenting it as a consistently sealed façade.
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An intentionally unfinished interior
Inside, the design leaves beams, columns and service routes exposed instead of concealing them behind a fully finished surface. The retained, unfinished character makes the existing structure and building services part of the interior’s visual language.
What is the public stair for?
A central stair crosses three levels and serves as both circulation and a place for interaction. The project account maps Organhaus to level 2, offices and flexible exhibition areas to levels 3 and 4, and aa market to level 5. The stair links these uses rather than treating each floor as an isolated destination.
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The architects connect the stair’s extended landings and turns to Chongqing’s steep terrain and the everyday experience of moving up and down the city. That is the designers’ interpretation of the form, not a measured claim about how visitors use the stair.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who designed RICHAUS?
The project credits principal architects Qi Fan and Jiang Yinan, with project architects Xu Feihong, He Zhaolong, Qiu Jingtong and Gu Weiming. Photography is credited to Wu Qingbo and Zhu Wenqiao; copywriting to Xu Xiaoyi and Wang Liu. The project details and design descriptions are presented in the architects’ project account on gooood and the listing on ArchDaily.
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Best Value
- Binding: Hardcover
- Illustrations: 250 in color
- Pages: 296
- Dimensions: 9 x 12 in. (235 x 305 mm.)
- ISBN: 978-0865653948
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