Qiyuan Liang Develops a New Framework for Commercial Building Reuse Through Corporate Interiors Practice

Liang's framework addresses a key challenge in adaptive reuse: the isolated handling of design and technical constraints. By treating spatial organization, pedestrian flow, vertical access, and building systems capacity as a unified problem, the research aims to prevent common conversion failures and cost overruns. This integrated approach is critical for projects seeking to combine retail, dining, office, cultural, and leisure functions within a single structure.

The framework proceeds across four coordinated moves. Progressive zoning places high-traffic uses near primary entrances, while a three-tier pedestrian system optimizes circulation, informed by heat mapping and arrival data. Vertical transportation elements, such as elevators and escalators, are designed to maintain commercial connectivity across floors. Building systems are verified by total load and zone using BIM-based clash detection, acknowledging that composite uses unevenly alter energy, drainage, exhaust, and fire-protection demands.

Commercially, the approach emphasizes flexible shared spaces and modular infrastructure. Atriums and lobbies are designed as adaptable interface systems for various activities, rather than simply circulation. Designing for future changes, through reserved equipment interfaces, movable partitions, and modular units, aims to reduce tenant turnover costs and enhance long-term building adaptability. This focus on sustained flexibility is intended to benefit owners and developers over a full ownership cycle.

Liang's work is particularly relevant in areas like Silicon Valley, where his practice is based. The region's aging commercial stock, high land values, and pressure for mixed-use developments on constrained sites reflect the conditions his research aims to solve. The framework offers a structured methodology for practitioners to verify and implement complex adaptive reuse projects.