Design Projects |

Bianzhong Grand Theatre

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Site Selection and Urban Design

The Bianzhong Grand Theatre is located within the planned new district of Suizhou, China, specifically in the ‘Bianzhong Music Culture and Creative Industry Park’. It occupies the most prominent area within the park, the Yiyuan Peninsula. The planned total available land area is 99.07 hectares, with an effective land area of 67.32 hectares, and a planned total building area of approximately 20,000 sqm.

The site benefits from convenient transport links. Baiyun Avenue runs through the south of the site, connecting the Huilangu Ecological Park to the east and the Municipal Administrative Centre to the west. The site has close transport ties to Suizhou’s old town via the Cross-Lake Bridge. The site is bordered by a lake on its north, east and west sides, offering shimmering lake views, and faces the Suizhou Stadium across the water. To the south, the site is framed by rolling hills with lush green foliage and expansive views over the lake. Overall, the site enjoys a picturesque setting, nestled between hills and water.

Site of Bianzhong Grand Theatre in the city of Suizhou

The general urban design framework around the theatre can be summarised as ‘one axis, one core, one belt, and three zones’. The ‘one axis’ refers to the music and leisure axial park that runs through the centre of the site; the ‘one core’ refers to the central plaza and the Bianzhong Grand Theatre in the plaza; the ‘one belt’ refers to the lakeside landscape belt; and the ’three zones’ refer to the featured shopping area, the cultural and arts area, and the Bianzhong music experience area.

The Yiyuan Peninsula, where the Grand Theatre is located, is a key element in Suizhou’s ‘riverside development plan’. This design optimises and enhances the existing planned urban transport system by strategically increasing road network density and evenly distributing various urban functions. It also better integrates with plans for the surrounding areas. The aim is to establish the peninsula as a well-organised and efficient core that generates a strong cultural landmark effect.

The urban design framework of ‘one axis, one core, one belt, and three zones’

The landscape design utilized the ground level changes on the lake bank to create rich, multi-level green spaces, achieving a smooth transition between hard and soft pavements. The central cultural plaza draws inspiration from ‘dancing sleeves’ and ‘flowing water’. The landscape pattern features flowing decorative lines, combined with lighting, to complement the ‘music rises, sleeves dance’ theme alongside the architecture. The lakeside landscape belt takes the form of a winding ecological green corridor, echoing the building.

Masterplan of Bianzhong Grand Theatre and the surrounding area

Architectural Design

The overall external form of this design is a continuous flowing line spiraling upwards, enveloping the core functions of the Grand Theatre. Public spaces and ancillary functions are arranged in a layout across different levels to maximise the use of the rear and side platforms. The building’s form varies in height according to the functional layout, minimising wasted space.

Concept of the external form in spiraling line

The flowing and dynamic shape is clad in horizontal brushed aluminium panels, which, together with the interspersed glass, create a vibrant play of light and shadow. From a distance, the Grand Theatre resembles a woman in long flowing robes dancing by the water to the music of the Bianzhong chimes, showcasing a perfect blend of traditional musical culture and modern urban landscape. From an urban scale, the building’s outline follows the central axis of the peninsula and gradually rises, culminating in an upward sweep that elegantly terminates the axis, organically embedding this large building into the urban fabric.

The Grand Theatre is situated on the banks of the Yu River, and this design aims to make it an open and welcoming public building, a three-dimensional waterfront leisure space. In conjunction with the varying heights of the flowing form, the design incorporates several open viewing platforms around the main building at different levels. The public can directly access these viewing platforms from the plaza via scenic bridges, without needing to enter the building, to enjoy views of the city’s riverfront.

South facade

West facade

North facade

East facade

Construction on a raised base platform is a prominent feature of traditional architecture in Suizhou. This design elevates the building’s ground floor by 6 metres to create a three-dimensional base. This not only echoes local cultural traditions but also facilitates the comprehensive and effective management of traffic flow, earthwork excavation, and disaster prevention.

The base platform creates visual corridors between the site’s interior and exterior, providing excellent viewing perspectives. From the city’s direction, the base platform enhances the main building, making the Grand Theatre appear more dignified and grand. It also efficiently achieves the following functional objectives: firstly, the base platform separates pedestrian and vehicle traffic; secondly, ample parking space is located beneath the base, avoiding the need for basement excavation, reducing earthwork and significantly saving on construction costs; and thirdly, it eliminates concerns about basement flooding during heavy rainfall or extreme weather events.

Render of Bianzhong Grand Theatre, aerial view from the southwest

In terms of functional layout, this design establishes an overall framework that efficiently utilises space, based on the principles of clear zoning and circulation. The Grand Theatre is mainly divided into four functional zones: the theatre (which also serves as a concert hall), backstage facilities, administration and support facilities, and a car park.

The main theatre auditorium is located on the first floor, employing a classic ‘vineyard’ seating arrangement. The stalls and two balconies together accommodate 1327 seats (including retractable seats in the orchestra pit). The balcony area incorporates boxes of varying sizes. The best viewing positions in the centre of the stalls are designated as two rows of VIP seating. The rear of the stalls provides convenient access and includes wheelchair-accessible seating. General audiences enter the stalls from the front foyer on the south side, while VIPs can enter from a separate lounge on the east side.

Dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, and other backstage facilities are located on the northwest side of the building from the first to the third floor, adjacent to the stage area. This arrangement allows performers to access the stage area quickly and easily.

Explosion analysis of circulation flows in Bianzhong Grand Theatre

Central section of the main building

The dance rehearsal hall is located on the first floor, parallel to the stage on the west. The two spaces are separated by movable walls and can be combined to form a single large space. The rehearsal hall is equipped with movable seating, allowing for various configurations such as a small theatre, conference hall, “T”-shaped stage, central stage, and flat hall, to meet different activity needs. Combined with the box office on the southwest side, this multi-functional dance rehearsal hall can operate independently when the main theatre is not in use, significantly improving the building’s overall utilisation and efficiency.

The orchestra and choir rehearsal hall is located on the fourth floor on the west, directly above the stage, making full use of the height difference between the side stage and the main stage.

Four functional zones: the theatre (blue, with the foyer in cyan), backstage facilities (dance rehearsal hall in yellow, orchestra and choir rehearsal hall in green), administration and support facilities (purple), car park (grey); with the vertical movement facilities in red and orange

Acoustic Design and Simulation Verification

The Grand Theatre’s operator requires the venue to be suitable for a variety of performances. While the theatre will primarily host Bianzhong chime performances, it also needs to accommodate drama, symphonic music, and other events. To meet the acoustic requirements of these diverse performances, the acoustic design adopts a compromise approach, balancing musical richness and speech clarity, with a target reverberation time of approximately 1.5 seconds.

To ensure that the reverberation time and its frequency characteristics within the theatre’s auditorium meet the design targets and achieve excellent sound quality, in addition to the careful design of the auditorium’s shape in plan and section, the plan also provides detailed recommendations for the selection of materials, construction methods, and the sound absorption performance of the seating for all surfaces within the auditorium.

To verify the building’s acoustic performance, professional software was used to simulate the acoustic effects in the Grand Theatre’s auditorium. The simulation results show that, in a dramatic performance scenario with the auditorium at full capacity at 500Hz, the reverberation time T30 = 1.47 seconds; and at 1000Hz, the reverberation time T30 = 1.41 seconds. Both simulations meet the design requirement of an optimal reverberation time of 1.5 ± 0.1 seconds, with an indoor sound pressure level difference of ≤ ±4dB, satisfying the requirements of the Code for Design of Theatres for Stage Performance (JGJ/57-2000). With the addition of an acoustic reflector at the rear of the stage, in a concert hall setting, the simulation results show that, with the auditorium at full capacity at 500Hz, the reverberation time T30 = 1.79 seconds; and at 1000Hz, the reverberation time T30 = 1.69 seconds. These results meet the requirements for the mid-frequency optimal reverberation time of 1.8 ± 0.1 seconds for concert halls as specified in the Principles of Architectural Acoustic Design.

Acoustic simulation results

My role

Qian Liu co-designed the masterplan and waterfront public spaces, contributed to the conceptualisation and architectural design of the theatre.

Planning and design of micro-scale public spaces in Hanyang Disrict

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Hanyang District is situated in the southwest of Wuhan, covering an area of approximately 108 square kilometres with a population of 479,000. The district’s urban layout is characterised by a blend of city and waterways, and its existing public spaces include: large public spaces around six major lakes and numerous smaller lakes; waterfront public areas along the Yangtze and Han Rivers; and various urban parks and squares. Hanyang District boasts a rich history and culture, with 17 officially recognised cultural heritage sites at the municipal level or above, as well as abundant natural scenery, including Yue Lake, Moshui Lake, and Gui Mountain.

In 2016, the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning (Wuhan MBNRP) commissioned the planning and design of micro-scale public space for Hanyang District. The aim was to closely align with current planning, enhance Hanyang District’s public space network, create a diverse range of urban public environments, improve the city’s overall quality, and develop a truly “liveable Hanyang”.

In this project, ‘micro-scale public space’ is defined as: public spaces that are small in scale, large in number, evenly distributed, and located close to residents’ living or transit areas, serving basic daily life needs. There are no absolutely strict size limits, but are defined relative to large public spaces in the city that are not always easily accessible for all residents. Their size is typically between approximately 300-5000m².

Survey

The design team, using Hanyang District’s planning control units as a framework, conducted a comprehensive survey of the district’s status quo. The survey identified 190 potential sites that could be renovated or upgraded into high-quality micro-scale public spaces. These comprised: 107 community-based micro-scale public spaces, 33 commercial micro-scale public spaces, 33 transport-related micro-scale public spaces, 10 public tourism micro-scale public spaces, and 7 public service micro-scale public spaces. As well as noting the location of each existing micro-scale public space, the survey provided detailed records of its surrounding functions, environmental facilities, quality of greenery, usage intensity, and types of use.

The project adopted a participatory design approach to fully respect the needs and wishes of local residents and involve them in the design process. During the survey, the team conducted questionnaires and in-depth interviews to understand local citizens’ needs and their evaluations of the existing micro-scale public spaces. The information gathered from the interviews revealed that Hanyang residents have a strong desire for more micro-scale public spaces, primarily using them for relaxation, walking, and sports and fitness, mainly in the evenings. Currently, residents expressed the most dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of seating, shelter, and lighting in these spaces. The facilities most desired by citizens are children’s play areas, spaces for leisure and strolling, and sports facilities.

Part of the visualised questionnaire results

Categorised Planning

When planning the layout of all micro-scale public spaces within Hanyang District, the project used a categorised approach, according to the context of each space.

Community-based micro-scale public spaces focused on older, open-plan residential areas and were planned based on the survey of existing micro-scale public space resources. For areas such as Sixin Community, which have a large number of planned but undeveloped residential communities, corresponding guidelines for the construction of micro-scale public spaces were also proposed. In total, 134 community-based micro-scale public spaces were planned.

Planned sites of community-based micro-scale public spaces, and their 300-meter buffer zone

Commercial micro-scale public spaces focused on Wangjiawan, Zhongjiacun, and the commercial hubs of Hanyang Avenue and Longyang Avenue. For the Sixin commercial district, which is currently under construction, the plan mainly developed supporting construction requirements. In total, 47 commercial micro-scale public spaces were planned.

Transport-related micro-scale public spaces were primarily laid out in conjunction with the existing Wuhan Metro Lines 3 and 4 and the soon-to-be-opened Line 6 stations in Hanyang District, while also considering some key bus stops. A total of 43 transport-related micro-scale public spaces were planned.

Metro lines in Hanyang District as baselines for transport-related micro-scale public spaces

Planned sites of transport-related micro-scale public spaces

Public service micro-scale public spaces were mainly planned and laid out based on the current survey and the distribution of public service facilities in Hanyang District. In total, 11 public service micro-scale public spaces were planned.

Public tourism micro-scale public spaces focused on Wuhan’s major tourist attractions and scenic spots, including Wuhan Zoo, Gui Mountain, and Yue Lake, etc. The planning also incorporated Hanyang District’s rich historical and cultural heritage, such as Guiyuan Temple and Qingchuan Pavilion. Throughout the planning process, special care was taken to avoid any duplication or conflict with existing scenic area plans. In total, 16 public tourism micro-scale public spaces were planned.

Overall, 251 micro-scale public spaces were planned within Hanyang District’s built-up area. The planned total area of these micro-scale public spaces is 67.08 hectares, forming a multi-tiered urban public space system, comprising urban parks, community parks, and micro-scale public spaces, alongside Hanyang District’s existing public spaces.

Planned multi-tiered urban public space system in Hanyang District, compromising urban parks, community parks, and micro-scale public space

Detailed Design of Representative Sites

In accordance with the requirements of the Wuhan MBNRP, the project team, based on the aforementioned planning layout, selected several representative micro-scale public spaces from the overall plan for detailed design. The aim was to provide examples to guide the specific implementation of the plan in the future. To ensure adequate representation, the selection of sites considered Hanyang District’s specific context, covered all five categories, and prioritised micro-scale public space locations with more prominent issues. The project ultimately selected 5 sites for detailed design.

For example, Erqiao Community Park, a typical community-based micro-scale public space, is surrounded by several older, open-plan residential communities. The park’s main users are residents from the neighbouring communities, primarily middle-aged and elderly people and children. The design respects the park’s existing layout and, considering its current usage, uses the addition of essential supporting facilities to renovate and improve the space. The goal is to achieve maximum improvement with minimal expenditure and better cater to the needs of different age groups, usage at different times, and various types of activities.

Designed plan of Erqiao Community Park

Designed Erqiao Community Park, with the added shelter, residents can enjoy more comfort

Wangjiawan Street Square is a typical commercial micro-scale public space. The main shortcomings of this space are the limited outdoor leisure space and poorly managed level changes, making it difficult for pedestrians. The design strategy for this space is to create more leisure space, redesign the overall ground surface with gentle slopes to improve pedestrian comfort, and extend the pedestrian street towards the side road to increase the commercial frontage.

Designed plan of Erqiao Community Park

Designed Erqiao Community Park, with the added shelter, residents can enjoy more comfort

Compilation of Detailed Guidelines and Phased Construction Plan

Finally, the project team, considering the specific circumstances of Hanyang District, developed detailed design guidelines for micro-scale public spaces in the district, including implementation recommendations for each micro-scale public space. Out of the 251 micro-scale public spaces, it is recommended that 64 be retained and improved, 126 be renovated and upgraded, and 61 be newly built.

To ensure the plan’s sustainable implementation, a phased construction plan was also created. A selection of representative and urgently needed micro-scale public spaces were designated as key construction projects for the near future. The selection process primarily focused on three types of areas: first, streets in Hanyang District with less than 0.5m² of public space per person, mainly Cuiwei Community and Jianghan Erqiao Community; second, micro-scale public spaces with high current usage but inadequate spatial facilities; and third, key development areas in Hanyang District, such as the Guiyuan Temple area. In total, 31 micro-scale public spaces were included in the near-term key construction plan.

To increase the plan’s binding effect, with the suggestion and approval of the Wuhan MBNRP, the team incorporated the planning results into the GIS-based ‘Wuhan Planning Map’ system, making it a legally enforceable plan. The team also recommended that the Wuhan MBNRP establish construction requirements for micro-scale public spaces in Hanyang District. Examples include requiring construction projects with a site area greater than 5000m² to provide micro-scale public spaces equivalent to 1%-3% of the building area, depending on the project type. Additionally, for high-density development sites, developers could be granted additional building area for each 1m² of micro-scale public space provided.

First page of the detailed guidelines for the planned micro-scale public spaces in Jianghan Erqiao Community

My role

Qian Liu conducted thorough participatory investigation on the Hanyang District for available spaces, prepared plan drawings for several communities and neighbourhoods, designed one of the representative sites, and registered the project outcomes into the governmental system based on GIS.

He was also responsible for stage presentations and final presentations to the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning.

NET OF CARE: Care continuum in Chinese major cities in 2040

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Submitted to ‘2017 UIA-PHG International Student & Young Architect Competition’

Won the award of ’Honorable Mention’ with the ranking of 7th

Background

The 2017 UIA-PHG International Student & Young Architect Competition, organized by the Public Health Group (PHG) of the International Union of Architects / Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA), was themed ‘SMART, GREEN & BEYOND: HEALTHCARE FACILITY OF THE FUTURE’. It called for ‘innovative proposals that may deal with significant future challenges: e.g., how to make use of limited resources? How to incorporate new technologies? How to meet the healthcare needs of the fast-growing aging population? How to reduce costs? In the next 15 or 30 years, how would healthcare facilities look like? How does the future design reflect the everlasting meaning of culture and tradition?’ (See , and )

China has the largest population in the whole world, which poses a great challenge in providing adequate healthcare for its residents. In response, we propose herein a care continuum that is supposed to be established by 2040, which we named ‘NET OF CARE’, consisting of modular healthcare units, an emergency transport network and hierarchical hospitals. Modular healthcare units can be constructed into different combinations embedded into ordinary buildings to satisfy various needs, turning the city, as a whole, into a healthcare facility.

Net of Care

New technologies and inventions in medical science imply an opportunity to change the current service process in Chinese hospitals almost completely. Firstly, since automated pharmacies and automated medicine dispensing pipelines have already been introduced within hospitals, there is possibility to make it an city-wide infrastructure network just like electricity transmission lines and to connect each community or even each house with this network, so that citizens can get medicines on a machine near their house without having to queue in hospitals. This network can be built using existing tunnels and pipes like the subways and drain pipes, which may dramatically reduce the cost.

Secondly, AI diagnosis and automatic physical examination can make it possible to separate parts of the whole service process from the hospitals and distribute them into automatic equipment that is installed throughout the whole city. This will not completely replace real physicians and surgeons, but can function as a ‘filter’ to decide which patients need to get further check or receive surgical treatment in brick and mortar hospitals and which of them can be cured with simple prescription and basic treatment that can be done on such automatic equipment. In many parts of the world, this role of ‘filter’ is played by family doctors, a career that does not exist at all in China.

Equipment in these two systems can be built or installed together to provide comprehensive services and be connected to each other in a hierarchical manner we propose that is similar to the computer network. This hierarchical manner can be integrated into the existing healthcare system, with tertiary hospitals as ‘servers’, primary hospitals and secondary hospitals as secondary servers, newly-built healthcare stations as ‘routers’ and non-medical buildings as ‘terminals’.

In such system, by installing comprehensive equipment onto ordinary, non-medical buildings like houses, offices, schools, malls, etc., the whole city is turned into a ‘Healthcare Facility’, a ‘Care Continuum’ that we called the ‘Net of Care’. And this is what we proposed in our project in response to the theme of this competition, ‘Smart, Green & Beyond: Healthcare Facility of The Future’. We believe that this care continuum could be built or partly built by 2040 in Chinese major cities.

My role

Qian Liu, as the team leader, conceptualized the design, made analysis and prepared drawings.

Refurbishment of ‘Ruffini’ Primary School

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Located on Via Fratelli Ruffini near central Milan, this primary school is named ‘Ruffini’ in honour of the Ruffini brothers, three renowned Italian patriots. The neighbourhood ranks among Milan’s most cultural areas, with the chapel housing Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper adjacent to the school and the UNESCO world heritage site Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie to the east.

Location of ‘Ruffini’ Primary School in Milan

The building of ‘Ruffini’ Primary School

Surroundings of ‘Ruffini’ school: Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie (the brick church on the right), the chapel housing The Last Supper (the two-storey yellow building to the left of the church), and ‘Ruffini’ school (the three-storey yellow structure to the left of the chapel)

Originally constructed in the 1800s as a three-storey U-shaped courtyard building, later rear additions completed its enclosed layout. Today, over two-thirds of the building serves the primary school, while the rest accommodates a kindergarten. Though structurally sound, the primary school’s facilities have not been updated for many years, hindering modern teaching approaches.

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing rules challenged the school but also created an opportunity to rethink its learning environment. Shortly after Milan’s first lockdown ended, the school administration launched a refurbishment project.

Refurbishment project

The refurbishment focused on shared spaces on the first storey, primarily the lobby, corridors, and two classrooms. The key task was upgrading facilities in these areas, including lighting, wall paint, furniture, and wooden features like door panels.

Beyond basic improvements, the design incorporated ideas from Prof. Laura Pezzetti’s research project ‘School Buildings towards a New Extraordinary’ (see ), aiming to transform plain corridors – previously just walkways – into ‘open classrooms’ for cooperative learning. Two classrooms near the lobby were redesigned to create a flexible, borderless shared learning zone.

Floor plan of lightings and wall paint

Floor plan of furniture arrangement

Refurbishment design of the lobby, in comparison with the status quo

Refurbishment design of the corridor, in comparison with the status quo

The refurbished corridors and classrooms also became ideal spaces to display the school’s science collections. New cabinets and shelves house dozens of taxidermy animal specimens, anatomy models, and vintage maths and physics teaching tools. Custom-designed stools double as seating and display units, allowing pupils examine specimens up close in a relaxed setting.

Bright yellow and blue wall colours were chosen to boost pupils’ mood and wellbeing, based on colour psychology. New furniture matches this palette, featuring shades like yellow, orange, light green, and light blue. Wooden elements (cabinets, shelves) retain their natural finish, while doors and window frames are repainted to harmonise with the scheme.

Refurbished lobby, photo by Erich Invernizzi

Refurbished corridor, photo by Erich Invernizzi

Lighting was upgraded to brighten the lobby-turned-classroom. Safety and eco-friendly materials were prioritised, with all wood certified as environmentally friendly.

Refurbished lobby, the stools with exhibiting functions can be observed, photo by Erich Invernizzi

Refurbished lobby, pupils appreciating the birds and playing with the geometry teaching tools, photo by Erich Invernizzi

One of the classrooms opened and connected to the shared leaning zone, with new desks and stools, photo by Erich Invernizzi

Another classroom opened and connected to the shared learning zone, photo by Erich Invernizzi

Status

Construction began in January 2021 and finished by early March.

The project was covered by Abitare, the renowned international magazine on architecture and design. View the article at the link below:

Innovazione didattica, aggiornamento di una scuola milanese | Abitare

Università, scuole e musei possono dare vita a collaborazioni fruttuose, con un forte impatto sulla realtà. Lo dimostra questo progetto del Politecnico di Milano.

www.abitare.it

My role

Qian Liu designed the lobby and corridor, including the furniture, lighting, and wall paints; and contributed to designing other connected spaces, and supervising on-site construction work.

Redevelopment of Vimercate All-inclusive School Centre

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background

The Vimercate Comprehensive School Campus (Omnicomprensivo Centro Scolastico di Vimercate), occupying a triangular site to the east of the city, comprises eight buildings shared among four schools, serving pupils from multiple neighbouring towns in the region.

The school centre, on the outskirt of Vimercate (seen on the left of this image)

Buildings and greenery in the school centre

Constructed in the mid-1970s, most buildings in the school centre feature simple single-storey designs using prefabricated concrete slabs – a cost-effective and rapid method, albeit one that compromised long-term durability. Despite ongoing maintenance, decades of continuous use have led to significant degradation, including water leaks, peeling plasterwork, and structural wear. Rising student numbers have strained the campus beyond its original capacity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted these shortcomings. Italian government mandates for social distancing during in-person teaching under the pandemic, requiring ample classrooms, communal spaces, and modern technical infrastructure, which are all starkly contrasted with the overcrowded campus’s limitations.

Corridor in Building D, status quo, photo in 2021

Classroom in Building F, status quo, photo in 2021; the walls made of prefabricated slabs can be observed

One of the entrances to Building D, status quo, photo in 2021

The redevelopment project

Following the pandemic, the local government has urgently called for redeveloping the school facilities. The project aims to enhance structural quality and upgrade equipment while creating more usable spaces for the schools, both indoors and outdoors.

The concept of the design builds on findings from the research project ‘School Buildings towards a New Extraordinary’ by Politecnico di Milano’s Osservatorio Scuole (see this page). This research sees COVID-19 and social distancing rules as a chance to accelerate the transformation of Italian school buildings, focusing on resilience, modern teaching methods, and student wellbeing.

Therefore, the design prioritises not just upgrading traditional classrooms but also improving outdoor public spaces between buildings to support student wellbeing. Indoor shared spaces like halls and corridors are redesigned as ‘open classrooms’ or ‘shared learning spaces’ to better suit the fluid environment of technology-driven cooperative learning.

Generally speaking, the design treated the school centre as an analogue of a city, composed by the solid buildings and the void public spaces in between.

As of late 2024, the project is finalising its designs, with construction due to begin shortly.

General plan of the redevelopment: an analogue of a city

Public space between buildings, where students interact and enjoy

‘Open classrooms’ in Building F

Design of Building D

Building D, the largest structure in the school centre, occupies the northern corner of the triangular campus. It houses the ‘ISS Einstein’ school and consists of a single-storey layout built primarily with prefabricated concrete slabs. Its north and south wings are linked by a central axial ‘bridge’, with each wing enclosing three small patios to improve natural lighting and ventilation.

This building requires urgent attention due to multiple issues. First, overcrowding, which has forced some ISS Einstein classes to relocate. Second, many prefabricated concrete slabs are in poor condition, with some structurally unsound. Third, inadequate lighting affects certain classrooms. Fourth, narrow corridors leave no space for cooperative or other modern teaching methods.

The design addresses these challenges. The major change is an additional floor added to the central-eastern section provides new classrooms and an open balcony facing east, offering views of fields and distant snow-capped mountains.

Building D, ground floor, redevelopment plan

Building D, 1st floor, redevelopment plan

The original central ‘bridge’ is converted into a two-storey central hall for shared learning, and for events like lectures, meetings, proms, and performances. Classrooms near the north and south entrances are merged into shared learning spaces, with sliding partitions replacing walls to allow flexible layouts.

New classrooms added to the west, combined with upgrades elsewhere, ensure sufficient capacity for foreseeable student numbers, based on data from the school administration.

Building D, the redeveloped central hall

Building D, the connected classrooms next to the entrance as shared learning space

My role

Qian Liu designed the redevelopment of Building D, and contributed to the on-site survey and master plan of the whole campus.

Regeneration of the historical centre of Meda

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Project background: the historical centre of Meda

Meda is a small historic city in the Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy, Italy, renowned for its furniture design and production industry and as the birthplace of modern architect Giuseppe Terragni. The city’s history traces its origins to c. 851 AD, when the Benedictine monastery of San Vittore was situated atop the hill in the city centre, around which a settlement developed and eventually grew into a city.

As the city expanded, residents favoured newer housing on the outskirts and gradually abandoned the historic centre, which now lies devoid of activity and in a state of degradation and neglect. The municipal authority has decided to redevelop the urban spaces in the historic centre and revitalise this core of the city’s identity.

Historical centre of Meda, status quo, drone aerial photo, 2021

The three sub-projects

The project comprises three sub-projects, aligned with the sites selected by the municipal authority as the most significant and viable for regenerating the historic centre.

The first sub-project focuses on Corso Matteotti, a key axis in the city’s urban layout. The western section of this corso is currently used primarily as a busy traffic corridor with little public activity, and at least half of its retail units stand vacant. However, the buildings along the corso – particularly those to the north – exhibit distinct architectural features characteristic of northern Lombardy and are critical to preserving the city’s cultural identity. The project’s aim is to transform the corso into a vibrant public space.

Corso Matteotti, status quo, photos in 2021

The second sub-project centres on Palazzo Mascheroni, situated near the eastern end of Corso Matteotti. Originally constructed around 1910 as the headquarters of the Mascheroni family’s furniture production business, the courtyard palazzo’s production wings were demolished in the early 2000s. The rectangular block housing the administration wing was preserved but has remained abandoned and derelict ever since. The municipal authority aims to convert this palazzo into a youth community centre.

Palazzo Mascheroni, status quo, photos in 2021

The third sub-project, dubbed the ‘Lacuna’ project, comprises two abandoned courtyards at the western end of Corso Matteotti. Its aim is to adapt these spaces into a civic centre.

‘Lacuna’, status quo, photos in 2021

These three sub-projects are integrated into a cohesive public space system, with Corso Matteotti serving as the central spine and Palazzo Mascheroni and ‘Lacuna’ positioned at either end. This network is anticipated to trigger community engagement in the city’s long-neglected historic centre.

The project’s public space system, the project sites are marked red

Corso Matteotti sub-project

The team conducted a comprehensive survey of the streetscape along Corso Matteotti and its adjacent buildings, employing traditional methods alongside drone aerial photography and point cloud mapping. To more effectively identify structural decay and damage to the buildings and inform preservation efforts, a heritage-focused survey was also undertaken.

Example of the point cloud survey

Based on these findings, the team developed detailed design proposals and revitalisation strategies for the street’s public realms. Key nodes along the thoroughfare were designated as priority design sites – termed ‘social hubs’ – intended for residents to gather, rest, and interact.

The design seeks to transform this historic high street into a network of dynamic, universally accessible public spaces. Two objectives were prioritised: firstly, to create functional public areas with amenities that encourage community engagement; and secondly, to reintegrate historical elements that preserve and showcase the city’s cultural identity.

For instance, the triangular plaza at the intersection of Corso Matteotti and Via Orsini was identified as a central public zone. This site historically served as a natural gathering spot due to a communal well, which the design reinterprets through a fountain installation to revitalise the corner. Similarly, the area fronting the bank near the municipal square was selected as a key social hub, designed to channel activity from the square into Corso Matteotti.

Design of the Spazio pubblico al ‘Pozzo’ (Public space of the ‘well’), rendering

Design of the Spazio pubblico al ‘Pozzo’ (Public space of the ‘well’), plan

Palazzo Mascheroni sub-project

Having been abandoned and neglected for nearly two decades, Palazzo Mascheroni was in poor condition when the design team commenced work. Its walls and floors were severely degraded, with several structures rendered structurally unsound.

The design prioritised identifying and preserving salvageable structural elements. Subsequently, newer paintwork on the façade was stripped to expose the original brick surfaces, aligning more closely with local architectural traditions. Interventions were kept minimal to retain the building’s original layout while adapting it for its proposed role as a youth centre.

Design for the north facade of Palazzo Mascheroni

Design for the top floor as a multi-function hall

Design for the entrance hall

‘Lacuna’ sub-project

The two courtyards for the ‘Lacuna’ project were in extremely bad conditions, featuring collapsed roofs and open spaces filled with overgrown vegetation. A further challenge was the absence of detailed historical records for these structures.

Using limited archival materials and point cloud data, the team digitally reconstructed the buildings, accounting for areas of collapse and decay to assess their state accurately. This informed a design that integrated the courtyards into a cohesive public space system. By adding new volumes atop ruined sections, diverse civic facilities were incorporated while carefully retaining the courtyards’ historical fabric.

Connecting the large courtyard (left) and the small one (right)

Design of the large courtyard

Design of the interior as exhibition space

My role

Qian Liu digitally reconstructed and designed the ‘Lacuna’ sub-project, and contributed to the on-site survey and design of the Corso Matteotti and Palazzo Mascheroni sub-projects.