PART STUDIO / XuTai Design And Reseach

Architects: XuTai Design And Reseach
Location: East China Normal University Gymnasium, Shanghai, China
Design Team: Tianbao Yang, Sophie Sheng
Area: 320.0 m2
Project Year: 2017
Photographs: Susan Tan

Text description provided by the architects. The SPACE finds its charm in transfiguring the materialistic to human perceptions. In a particular moment, the materiality and form are transformed to emotions by the space. It generates rich experiences while facilitating human diversity.

In the case of PART STUDIO, an institution on art education, the space takes the form of a 25×10 m² square with the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment platform as the entrance rooftop. Inner space meets various needs: a teaching studio for 30 people, which can be converted to a lecture/exhibition hall for 50 people; 4 separate smaller studios, offices, reception rooms, VIP lounges, bathrooms, store-rooms, etc.

Confronted with the unfriendly surroundings, the initial idea is to mark off the interior from the exterior, and to blur the boundary between indoor areas. The scope and numbers of windows have been extended by outdoor walls to maximize natural lighting. And the glassy fences serve to provide undisrupted views while separating landscape and screening the equipment from view.

The original partition boards have been removed to create an all-open space. The independent studios have been comparted by ceiling-high and transparent glass walls to guarantee desired functions and views, and to eliminate the sense of confinement.

A circular block combining the corridor and landscape has been designed to facilitate exhibitions and lectures, forming a continuous and draughty traffic in the space.

In the major studio, desks and chairs can be re-arranged in the storing space on the occasion of an exhibition. Old-aged wooden floorboards and lath bricks have been preserved on the ground made of tiles and concrete.

Despite the small departure from our initial concept due to cost-efficiency and time limit, users of this space recognize its multi-functional construction which inspires intriguing atmosphere and interesting stories.