Olion Kindergarten is renovated from a disused community service center on Baoju Rd, Baoshan district, Shanghai. The design aims to change this banal structure with a series of adjustments and create a brand new building by exploring its unknown potential.
It was very difficult to develop spaces on a plan due to the floor area restriction in the original building. Therefore, we have decided to try another way - shifting the focus from plan to section. We have designed a suspended ceiling with an interior skylight through hollowing part of the suspended ceiling and extending it to the upper floor.
The whole ceiling is enclosed with light-wells or transparent materials, resulting in a space with a full story height under the ceiling. Considering construction standards, the clear height of the suspended ceiling is designed 2.25 m. People might feel depressed in such a construction site with dim light and messy keel. However, when the suspended ceilings are completed and painted, the whole space looks so bright and clear.
From what we have experienced in this project, we may finally draw the conclusion that as a spatial environment, light and texture are factors which may have direct impact on architectural scale. This is what architectural photography won’t tell us.
All the information about how to enter the 2020 WAN Awards is here.
We are very happy to offer support so please don’t hesitate to email Georgia, WAN Awards Event Coordinator with any questions at Georgia.Baily@haymarket.com.
Last year more than 40 countries took part in the WAN Awards with strong showings from Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. And we saw some truly outstanding projects, take a look at the winners from last year here.