Seamless Living
Re-imagining Urban Neighborhood
Year
2023.02.24
Location
Shanghai
Overview
Located on Hongqiao Road in Shanghai, this project originates from a critical observation of contemporary urban challenges: deteriorating environments in aging districts, traffic congestion at community interfaces, and the profound social alienation among urban dwellers. "The Humane City" is a visionary urban intervention that seeks to redefine community openness through architectural means, creating an "Open Utopia" that harmonizes urban infrastructure with human emotions.
Core Design Strategy
To break away from the isolated and monolithic nature of traditional apartment living, the design introduces a continuous Aerial Promenade as the primary spatial catalyst:
- Multi-dimensional Connectivity: The promenade weaves through all residential volumes, establishing direct links to adjacent shopping malls and subway portals. This effectively segregates pedestrian flow from ground-level vehicular traffic.
- Social Catalyst: By integrating elevated public realms, the promenade acts as a natural "umbilical cord" for the neighborhood, transforming disconnected living units into a vibrant, interconnected social network.
- Dissolving Boundaries: The design eliminates the physical and psychological barriers between the community and the city, fostering transparency and public engagement.
Diverse Typologies
Responding to diverse demographic needs—including students, young professionals, nuclear families, and the elderly—the project features six distinct architectural typologies:
- The Tree-Shaped Living Building: A vertical structure mimicking natural growth patterns to optimize spatial distribution.
- The Rotating Apartments: Dynamic geometric compositions offering residents multi-orientational views and varied perspectives.
- Space Overlay Family Units: Flexible, split-level designs that balance private domesticity with shared communal life.
- Specialized Units: Optimized living spaces for the elderly and students, featuring streamlined vertical circulation and integrated support facilities.
The Vision
This project is more than a residential renovation; it is an experiment in future urbanism. Our goal is to restore the "lost human touch" within the rapid pace of metropolitan life, transforming living spaces from closed containers into a fluid, rhythmic part of the urban landscape.
Project Documentation
