Construction of the MVRDV-designed Center for Women and Children in Shenzhen, China, has come to an end, transforming an abandoned edifice into a vibrant and colorful skyscraper. It now houses a hotel and a wide range of facilities for women and children: a library, auditorium, children's theater and "discovery hall," as well as therapy rooms. With its colorful facade, the 100-meter high-rise is a refreshing touch to the Futian district, and more importantly, it sets an important precedent for the reconstruction of wasteland.
In its first iteration, the skyscraper was completed in 1994, when Shenzhen was experiencing a wave of rapid growth. However, due to lingering fire safety concerns, retail units in the overhead were not opened until 2002, and the tower itself remained vacant. In 2019, it was decided that the building was unfit for use due to its failure to meet environmental requirements. China's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 led to the building being selected as one of twenty-four model examples of revitalization by China's National Development and Reform Commission.
Instead of demolition - a thorough refresh
A close-up view of the courtyard of the Shenzhen Women and Children's Center
© Xia Zhi
{Studio} designed a comprehensive transformation that allowed for the reuse of the existing structure - a much more sustainable approach than demolition and rebuilding. The most striking feature is the refreshed facade: a grid of multicolored exterior frames increases the thickness of the facade to a full meter. These frames provide additional shading to reduce heat gain, and include panels that open from the inside to allow natural ventilation, thereby increasing occupant comfort and reducing the building's reliance on air conditioning. The crown of the tower shelters a terrace accessible to all, offering a full panoramic view of the city. The courtyard, which was originally used as a parking lot, has been transformed into a public space with a food court.
color-coding
The colors of the facade - yellow, orange, pink and green - help communicate the building's layout. The multicolored hopeful clearly advertises its function as a service center for mothers and their children. On the tower, which houses the hotel, these colors give way to neutral white. On the first floor, the complex's four main entrances are highlighted by a concentration of four different colors, making navigating the facility an easy and intuitive process. The approach of communicating through color continues in the main lobby. Here, a structure of nine "rooms" creates a space that resembles a playground for children to enhance their enjoyment during their visit. It all comes together like building blocks in a whole where children are given priority.
The lobby of the Shenzhen Women and Children's Center
© Xia Zhi
Reducing environmental costs through reconstruction
The subway entrance was relocated to the interior of the building to better connect it to public transportation networks and reinforce the shift away from car dependency. The construction goals were achieved while saving about 24,000 cubic meters of concrete, the original construction material. This results in carbon savings equivalent to 11,800 flights from Amsterdam to Shenzhen! Minor additions were also made, filling in some of the awkward solutions of the original design to create simple, efficient floor plans.
Shenzhen building expansion idea by MVRDV.
© MVRDV
The Women and Children's Center could be a pioneering project for Shenzhen, says Jacob van Rijs, founding partner of MVRDV. - The city's rapid growth has meant that many existing buildings are not designed for longevity. This is a recipe for either an epidemic of demolitions or, at best, a great wave of adaptations. Showing that even the most inadequate of these structures can be repurposed could save the insane amount of concrete going into landfills, while eliminating the millions of tons of carbon emissions that would result from replacing it.
