Jing'an Community Pool House / PRA

Curated by 韩双羽 – HAN Shuangyu
SWIMMING POOL, RENOVATION • SHANGHAI, CHINA
Architects : PRA
Area : 600 m²
Year : 2020
Photographs : Eiichi Kano
Architect In Charge : Kirk Mazzeo, Jasper Yuan
City : Shanghai
Country : China

Textual content description supplied by the architects. This web site was a group pool which had not too long ago grow to be defunct. It was the one outside pool within the Jing’an District of Shanghai that was open to the general public, and was regularly in use for over 30 years.

Acquainted residents of Shanghai know the attraction that lane home communities possess, with their historic architectural parts and bustling residential life spilling out into meandering alleys. It’s such a naturally dense sensory expertise that we had been actually bowled over after we opened the gate off of 1 significantly slim alley, and had been greeted with an expansive physique of water quietly reflecting the sky above it. A pair of squat buildings sat at its lengthy edge and a big perimeter wall seemed to be holding all of it collectively. Glassy, darkish water that was once clear and filled with exercise now modified the temper of the area into one thing far more contemplative.

The shopper and the design crew debated the significance of sustaining the water, contemplating the extraordinarily uncommon nature of its location within the metropolis. Initially intending to remodel it into an natural pond, we finally concluded the impracticality of this and arrived at an answer that was much less literal. Holding onto the concept of open expanse, which is sort of laborious to seek out in lane communities and one thing that we actually needed to guard, we drained the pool and preserved the concrete casted structure together with its unique tilework, lifeguard towers, and pool ladders. A freestanding deck holding two pocket gardens and a reflecting pool had been inserted on the top of the place the water as soon as was. The area now supplies respite for native residents.

Shou Sugi Ban, our selection of major cladding materials and accompanying louvers, is a method not significantly widespread in China. This left us to stage a collection of experimentations with native wooden staff and contractors. Trial and error finally produced a product that got here collectively properly. All of the wooden utilized within the challenge is reclaimed, all the way down to the backyard decking, which was acquired from a torn down college on the outskirts of Shanghai.

Entry to the second ground and rooftop patio is by the use of an exterior staircase, fitted between the building façade, and an array of vertical wood louvers. Rising above the reflecting pool, the stair engages the inside of the building via the home windows as you go them by, in addition to the backyard via a collection of punctuated holes within the display. The stair, by this nature, is a wedding of perform and social assemble that ties each the backyard and building collectively in a unified dialogue.

Robinson Adey

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