The IBM research-office building is situated in new, green IT-development zone in North-West Beijing. IBM envisions buildings as open environments that nurture communication, collaboration, comfort and productivity. Space should be designed to provide natural light and an awareness of the outdoors throughout the office

To set conditions for an open environment, the building aims to maximize relations with its green surrounding. The building consists of a two floor high ellipse (200 x 100 m) that rests on four smaller ellipses. The top two floors contain open offices; all collective program is concentrated in the small ellipses. The meandering space between the ground floor ellipses opens up towards the surrounding landscapes and accommodates the central lobby and three internal gardens.