Dinghai Street Community Center

Type: Institute
Area: 250 sqm
Location: Shanghai, China
Stage: Competition Entry

A Home for an Underprivileged Community

People living along Longchang Road feel that they have been left out from the urbanization of Shanghai.

Originally built as dorms for an adjacent workshop in the 1930s, this community houses one of the last residential groups in Shanghai who have no access to private restrooms and kitchen. In response, residents have built illegal additions to their buildings to accommodate their basic needs in the modern society.

This proposal reviews shared needs of the community by in-depth interviews, and transforms the adjacent workshop which is out of service now into community’s shared space for shower, restroom and kitchen. In addition to a flexible community gathering space, the structure will also be home to local government’s office, so that the staff could better understand and communicate with the residents.