WIRED SCAPE

Wired Scape
Wired Scape: Where Imagination, Nature, and Community Converge

Step into Wired Scape, an innovative public space project nestled within a residential district of Guangzhou, China. Here, the realms of imagination, nature’s beauty, and community engagement intertwine to offer an unparalleled and unconventional experience.

This project draws its inspiration from the captivating landscapes of Guangdong province, embracing the essence of China’s diverse topography. The natural wonders of mountains, lakes, and forests serve as our muse, their geometric forms providing the guiding principles for our design.

A distinctive touch defines this proposal—the aesthetic of every element is intricately woven with pipes and wires. These elements encase shapes, akin to a cozy layer of wool. Picture lines and pipes converging in varied directions, crafting a tactile texture reminiscent of woven fabrics.

The playground’s centerpiece stands tall, echoing the majestic mountain forms. This towering 3-story landmark beckons young adventurers to climb its heights and descend through a trio of slides, each with its own level of challenge.

The language of patterns etched onto the ground evokes ancient Chinese paintings, where fluid lines dance with geometric grace. These undulating lines traverse the entire expanse, giving life to green spaces, a sunken plaza, and play zones.

Mirroring the elegance of a serene lake, these lines weave a narrative where water cascades from lofty mountain peaks into a magical central pond, transforming the playground’s heart into a sunken plaza.

But the spectacle doesn’t stop at mountains and lakes. Artificial trees, designed in harmony with the park’s aesthetic language, stand as playful installations and shading structures, extending the allure of Wired Scape.

Beyond the structured elements lies a lush embrace of nature—green areas adorned with a variety of trees, planters, and flowerbeds. Their forms, fluidly sculpted by the same undulating lines, unify the space into a coherent and captivating tapestry.

Wired Scape is a symphony where design and nature harmonize, beckoning you to explore, unwind, and forge connections. It’s an embodiment of creativity, a canvas where lines and forms narrate tales of play, togetherness, and the beauty of Guangzhou’s landscapes.

Experience Wired Scape—A Fusion of Innovation, Nature, and Community.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Wired Scape
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Matías Hernández, Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Jinshazhou Properties
SIZE: 2,800 m2
STATUS: Built
LOCATION: Chengdu (China)
RENDERINGS: 100architects

THE OTHER NEST

The Other Nest
Chengdu | China

The Other Nest 2023 represents an exciting evolution of our previous project, The Nest, which captivated audiences in early 2021. This endeavor exemplifies a captivating and dynamic public space that aims to enhance and beautify the urban landscape of Chengdu, the vibrant capital of China’s Sichuan province.

The Other Nest | Official Video | 100 Channel

Commissioned once again by our esteemed client, the New Hope Group, who expressed great satisfaction with the original outcome, we were inspired to leverage the intellectual property we had developed. Our objective was to create a project within the same narrative framework, utilizing the same “image” while adapting to the unique site conditions of a newly constructed residential area.

Both projects embody the concept of “urban toys for the city,” aligning with our belief that play is not limited to children. The 100architects team designed these two urban playscapes to evoke joy and entertainment for individuals of all ages. These colorful playscapes act as urban attractors, visually standing out amidst their surrounding environment.

@ RexZou

Just like the original version, the design narrative of this multifunctional playscape draws inspiration from the concept of a vibrant birth, where two newborns are nurtured by their mother. The three main IP objects, the birds, remain unchanged from the previous iteration. These vertical play structures serve as engaging elements for children to climb, slide, and discover various play opportunities.

In addition to the central play equipment, we have continued the theme of circular patterns throughout the surrounding space. These circles act as platforms for leisure, social interaction, and a wide range of other functions, enriching the multifunctionality of the playscape.

@ RexZou

Connecting all the circular components together is a meandering running track that spans the entire project, serving as a unifying element and transforming the playscape into a multi-functional circuit of events to be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Various features have been incorporated into this playscape, including a sunken sandpit, swings, a trampoline, a fitness core, a Chinese chess table, elderly exercise equipment, and seating components under an eggshell-shaped canopy, providing shade.

@ RexZou

To ensure a comprehensive urban intervention, we have enhanced the surrounding landscape with circular shapes consisting of lush greenery, bushes, flowers, and trees. Significantly increasing the amount of green areas, these additions create a green buffer that shields the playscape from the adjacent residential buildings.

The colorful EPDM flooring, designed to absorb impacts during play, showcases an array of patterns, graphics, and interactive games, facilitating connections between different spaces and activities within the area.

@ RexZou

During nighttime, the project comes to life through decorative lighting using flexible LED strips, accentuating the meandering shapes of the eggshells. This includes the eggshells representing the emerging chicks as well as the canopies providing shading. For functional lighting, lampposts have been designed with smaller eggshell-shaped lamps atop them

@ RexZou

@Rex Zou

@ RexZou

Credits

PROJECT NAME: THE OTHER NEST
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Matías Hernández, Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: New Hope Group
SIZE: 2,200 m2
STATUS: Built
LOCATION: Chengdu (China)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rex Zou
VIDEOGRAPHY: Rex Zou

MĂ WAY

Mă Way
Hangzhou | China

Mă Way is yet another twist in our recurring series of projects revolving around the concept of the Horse for our regular client, Dong Yuan. First came the popular HorseBox in Chengdu; soon after, the least abstract ones, HorseLand & SeaHorse, both in Chongqing; and finally, the latest, largest and most famous one, Pegasus Trail also in Chongqing.

MaWay | Official Video | 100 Channel

@Rex Zou

After 4 different successful projects exploring alternative ways of playing around same Dong Yuan’s IP image of the Horse, they reached out to us a 5th time for yet another fun twist. This time, for the public realm of a newly built residential development in the city of Hangzhou, our response was a bit more calligraphic: A playscape driven by the actual shape of the Chinese character Mă (马) which guess what? Yeah, it means Horse.

In order to be visible, recognizable and even readable from all the surrounding residential towers, we created a huge Chinese character in eye-catching monochromatic aquamarine green color, and then turned it into a playscape.

We realized that the character’s calligraphic stroke, when geometricized, was ideal for becoming a playful path or Way of entertaining activities filled with challenging obstacles & fun features for encouraging social interactions. Thus, its name, Mă Way. You do it your way.

Furthermore, the canvas onto which the character is calligraphed, the negative surrounding space, complement the path of playful activities with different pocket plazas for leisure, offering seating opportunities in the form of sunken plaza, and shaded areas for kids and adults alike, as well as sports areas for youngsters and teenagers or floor games for kids, converting the space in a multi-functional and multi-generational square.

Taking advantage of the independence of one of the strokes, separated from the main calligraphic body, we proposed a vertical play-wall, which when seen from above looks like a straight stroke line, and when seen from a pedestrian point of view, it becomes a challenging wall full of perforations & vertical games besides climbing and sliding opportunities.

Mă Way has been thoughtfully developed as a “Play Route” from end to end of the different character strokes, having into consideration different challenges and levels of difficulty for different age groups along the path. Calligraphy strokes on the floor set the path along which kids have fun and adults gather or have a rest, unifying them in a colorful path that gives shape and order to the Play Route.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Mă Way
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Matías Hernández, Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Dong Yuan Dichan Properties (东原地产)
SIZE: 8,000 m2
STATUS: Built
LOCATION: Hangzhou (China)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rex Zou
VIDEOGRAPHY: Lalo López

SHANGHAI SMART BOOTH

Shanghai Smart Booth
Shanghai | China

Shanghai Smart Booths is the result of 100architects’ second collaboration with the Shanghai Branch of China Telecom, the state-owned Chinese telecommunications company, after our previous Orange Phone Booths, where we did an exercise of turning these old relics into modern functional urban furniture. This time we went beyond that.

Shanghai Smart Booth | Official Video | 100 Channel

Once essential technology that played a great role in connecting thousands of people across cities and countries, phone booths these days are disappearing from the face of the cityscapes. The city of New York, for mentioning one, bade its farewells to the last free-standing phone booth on May 23, 2022. Unable to meet the demands of the rapidly changing daily communication needs of urban dwellers, the phone booths that are still standing in Shanghai are seen as telecommunication relics, forgotten, neglected, and sometimes sadly mistreated.

The new Shanghai Smart Booth is a unique type of urban artifact powered by solar panels on its roof, a sophisticated design that demonstrates the infinite potential of creative thinking about the cityscape and public realm.

Equipped with a variety of new features, these technologically upgraded versions of old iconic Shanghai phone booths cater to the needs of the progressive tech-savvy population of Shanghai as much as to the safety needs of the elderly who may still remember using phone booths for their primary function.

In addition to a free three-minute phone call, these new, yet traditionally red, digitalized phone kiosks offer around-the-clock Wi-Fi hotspots, 5G transceivers, wireless charging for mobile devices, as well as USB connectivity, touch screens with city maps and easy one-click taxi-hailing services. A panic button along with such artificial intelligence features as face recognition is meant to assist the elderly and tackle an alarming problem of elderly people going missing in China.

Designing with practicality and functionality in mind, we couldn’t leave the fun out and slotted in a selfie wall that will be surely favored by selfie kings and queens, providing this booth with a new fun way to interact with its users.

To revamp the old booth while yet keeping the aesthetic soul and recognizable features of the old version (rouge red color, sloped hat on top, boxy shape), the defining features of our new design became soft lines, rounded edges, minimalist smooth surfaces, and functional thoughtful details. The addition of a pinch of color-contrast between the outer red layer and the inner black meandering stripe contributed to injecting strength and power to the contemporary statement wanted to be made.

Such integration of functional upgraded digital features in the contemporary look and feel of the new China Telecom phone box is an effort to make the phone booth an essential part of the cityscape again, and a part of the collective urban consciousness, a place to connect and interact, a place to recharge, slow down and have a cup of coffee, to take a shelter from rain or sizzling heat, and most importantly, a place to create a link that connects phone booths with the past, present and future of this city’s history.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Shanghai Smart Booth
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora, Jango Zhang & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: China Telecom Shanghai
SIZE: 1 m2
STATUS: Built
LOCATION: Shanghai (China)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rex Zou
VIDEOGRAPHY: Lalo López

UNDER THE SEA

Under the Sea
Chongqing | China

Under the Sea is an intervention of the public realm of a newly built mixed-use development in the city of Chongqing, aiming to activate the open-air retail street through visual stimulation. The project is entirely inspired by the marine world, creating an immersive experience full of fantasy and surprises.

Under The Sea | Official Video | 100 Channel

Large floor graphics depicting a stream of water, and a series of eye-catching and socially engaging installations themed as an Undersea World along the pedestrian area play an important role in the social activation of the space as well as in the stimulation of visitors and users.

As its name reveals, the project depicts a colorful and intricate Undersea World, the natural habitat of the Starfish Xingzai, our client’s IP Mascot. We make Xingzai embark on an undersea journey where he meets jellyfishes, algae, shells, octopuses, and even a whale!

Designed as an eventful and meandering stream of water, the grey pedestrian street’s floor turns into a colorful painted scape in Aquamarine hues, encouraging both, pedestrian circulation along the street to keep discovering as well as taking pauses in the mini pocket plazas where floor games and play equipment provide encapsulated doses of joy and entertainment to kids and adults alike.

Taking advantage of the retail street’s layout in 3 different levels due to the site’s topography, the project is carefully designed starting on the top level, where subway stations and arrival points are located, following the water stream downhill to the lower levels, as water would physically behave, to smartly use the full potential of the available space, guiding visitors through the middle level of the retail street, finding fun features and deep sea creatures along the pathway, down to the lower level where the stream of water is stagnant revealing the big starfish Xingzai.

All the 3-dimensional sea creatures and other urban furniture and floor games are strategically located concentrically over contrasting bubbles in Coral hues, organized in a way that leaves accessible the emergency fire track.

Under the Sea has been thoughtfully developed as a “Play Route”, having into consideration different challenges and levels of difficulty for different age groups in different areas. A directional stripe on the floor guides visitors from bubble to bubble, unifying them in a coral path that gives shape and order to the Play Route.

Each of the coral bubbles is a platform hosting specific functions and features that encourage social interactions through leisure and play. Those programmatic bubbles initially executed as 2D floor graphics for circulation, in certain moments become 3D shapes forming urban furniture, play structures and objects for leisure.

Altogether, the intervention enhances and stimulates the experience of visitors along the newly built pedestrian street, and creates successfully a very colorful and stimulating community hub for the neighbors and visitors.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Under the Sea
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Chongqing Hai Shang Xing Real Estate Co., Ltd.
SIZE: 8,000 m2
STATUS: Built
PRODUCTION: Red Kid Recreation Equipment Co. LTD
LOCATION: Chongqing (China)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rex Zou
VIDEOGRAPHY: Lalo López

LOLLIPOP STREET

Lollipop Street
Lujiazui | Shanghai | China

Lollipop Street is a public space activation project that aims to create a trendy outdoor play area as a welcoming and gathering point for the community, right at the front plaza of Jinyang L-Site Mall located in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone of Lujiazui, for youngsters and families visiting the commercial building in Pudong District.

Lollipop Street | Official Video | 100 Channel

Lollipop Street an intervention in the heart of Shanghai financial district | Official Video | 100 Channel

It is a project inspired by the imaginary “candy world”, borrowing shapes and colors from pop culture objects such as candy canes, lollipops, popsicles, and many more.
It depicts an eye-catching, colorful, and intricate knot designed as an eventful tangled path that, by twisting, bending, and entangling, creates pockets of opportunity for play, entertainment, and leisure.

Taking advantage of the site’s L-shape, the knot is carefully designed to smartly use the full potential of the available space, guiding users through the space, and finding fun features along the intricate path. In that sense, all the 3-dimensional objects are strategically located concentrically over specific circles, in order to leave accessible the emergency fire track.

The Lollipop Street has been thoughtfully developed as a “Play Route”, having into consideration different challenges and levels of difficulty for different age groups in different areas. Thus, the Slide Ring becomes the most challenging play route, intended for children from 10 to 14 years old.

The Hills Ring instead, within the biggest circle, is set to be a less challenging play route for kids from 6 to 10 years old, and ultimately, all the games embedded in the floor graphics are the simplest play route, suitable for kids from 1 to 6 years old.

Each of the circles formed by the revolving knot is a platform hosting specific functions and features that encourage social interactions through leisure and play. Those programmatic circles initially executed as 2D floor graphics for circulation, in certain moments become 3D shapes forming urban furniture, play structures, and objects for leisure.

The whole system of stripes becomes 3-dimensional, by elevating certain stripes from the ground level, in order to create a social amphitheater with enhanced views of the Zutang River, or even vertical walls which quickly grab the attention of visitors with interesting shapes & patterns, as trendy selfie spots for social media sharing.

In the center of the main circle, a dome equipped with slides is crowned with a very eye-catching urban landmark in the shape of a “Lollipop”, as the main recognizable & distinctive IP image of the project.

Altogether, the intervention enhances and stimulates the experience of visitors in all senses, and creates successfully a very colorful and stimulating community hub for the neighbors and visitors of Jinyang L-Site Mall.

@Rex Zou

Credits

PROJECT NAME: LolliPark
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv & Eva Jiang.
PRODUCTION: Hong Yang Advertising
CLIENT: Shanghai Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone Development Co., Ltd.
SIZE: 850 m2
STATUS: Under Construction
LOCATION: Lujiazui, Shanghai (China)
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rex Zou
VIDEOGRAPHY: Lalo López

WINDING BREEZE

Winding Breeze
Beach Corniche | Sharjah | UAE

Winding Breeze is 100 Architect’s creative design response for the design of a large portion of Beach Corniche, a 9,5 km. corniche recently inaugurated in the UAE.

The client was aiming at adding a cluster of high-quality public amenities to enhance the visitor’s experience in the public realm, equipping the beach corniche with eye-catching and functional activities, including sports, leisure areas, play & entertainment, beach facilities as well as F&B & retail units. All in all, a public space activation project that aims to create a trendy outdoor lifestyle hub and gathering point for the local community as well as for visitors, right next to an international Hotel currently under construction at the Beach Corniche.

Winding Breeze | Official Video | 100 Channel

The conceptual proposal intends a bold architecturalization of that unique feeling of the sea breeze caressing the skin when arriving at a bespoke tourist destination on holidays. A memorable moment turned into architecture. That is Winding Breeze. A place to reconnect with nature, to feel human. A place to slow down and breath, to connect with others. A place to walk, to skywalk, and enjoy the goodness of UAE’s climate, enhancing outdoor lifestyle facilities.

We have focused our efforts in creating a plastic gesture that could become both, an urban and a natural landmark in the entire UAE and beyond. An eye-catching way of activating the city coastline to attract locals, international visitors, nature & sport lovers, etc.

The breeze loops break the existing never-ending rectilinear beach promenade into smaller human-scale sections, encouraging visitors to slow down and enjoy memorable experiences, indulging in leisure spaces, lush nature, and a wide variety of sport facilities allocated in the pocket plazas created by those loops, all accompanied by a shaded retail and F&B area as an architectural buffer to the busy road.

Each of the pocket plazas formed by the revolving path, becomes a platform hosting specific functions and features that encourage dynamics of social interaction through leisure and play.

The abstract expression of the wind is represented by a swirling pedestrian path that elevates in order to create a microclimate underneath, hosting a shaded park and resulting on a beach skywalk that offers great views both, over the beach and the city, as well as facilitating a pedestrian connection to the urban settlement across the road that currently separates it from the coast.

Altogether, the intervention enhances and stimulates visually and functionally the experience of visitors in all senses, turning this section of the Beach into one of the main catalyzers of social life in Sharjah, through a very colorful and stimulating community hub for neighbors and tourists of Sharjah alike.

Project Credits

PROJECT NAME: Winding Breeze
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Confidential
SIZE: 15,000 m2
STATUS: Concept Design
LOCATION: Sharjah (UAE)
RENDERS: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

THUNDERCLOUDS

Thunderclouds
Discover Thunderclouds Playground: Where Play, Nature, and Community Collide!

Welcome to Thunderclouds Playground, a hidden gem nestled in the heart of a residential district in Shenyang. Here, the magic of play merges seamlessly with the beauty of nature, creating an oasis of imagination and fun. Our playground pays homage to the dynamic weather of Shenyang, a city where warm, humid summers give life to billowing clouds that seem to touch the sky.

Step into a world where the elements come alive and play knows no bounds. Thunderclouds Playground is situated amidst a vibrant residential district, surrounded by tall buildings and the hustle and bustle of city life. This unique setting makes it a true community space, where families, friends, and neighbors gather to create lasting memories.

Imagine a place where kids of all ages can explore, learn, and make friends. Our playground features four unique cloud structures, each carefully designed for different age groups, creating an inclusive environment for all:

Cloud Play (0-3 Years): Inspired by the “Condensation” natural phenomenon, this cloud offers a safe and gentle haven for the youngest adventurers.

River Play (3-6 Years): Drawing inspiration from the “Collection” natural phenomenon, this cloud is a place of discovery and exploration for curious minds.

Sun Play (6-10 Years): Embracing the spirit of “Evaporation,” this cloud sparks creativity and active play for growing imaginations.

Rain Play (10-14 Years): Inspired by “Precipitation,” this cloud offers challenges and excitement for older children seeking adventure.

Each cloud playground is a world unto itself, complete with games and activities inspired by their respective natural phenomena. As you move through the clouds, you’ll experience the wonder of condensation, the flow of rivers, the warmth of the sun, and the thrill of rain.

But Thunderclouds Playground is more than just a play area. It’s a space where families and friends can come together to relax, unwind, and strengthen their connections. Amidst the clouds, you’ll find shaded spots and comfy seating for both adults and young ones to enjoy.

We’ve captured the essence of nature’s beauty and blended it with play. As you wander through the playground, you’ll feel the breeze gently rustling through, carrying with it the magic of clouds and the excitement of wind-inspired elements. It’s a place where kids can let their imagination run wild and explore the world around them.

The pavements beneath your feet become a canvas of color and graphics, enveloping the entire playscape in a cohesive theme. It’s a visual feast that paints the spirit of Thunderclouds Playground on every surface.

Join us in celebrating the magic of weather, the joy of play, and the spirit of community. Thunderclouds Playground is more than a space; it’s an experience that uplifts, inspires, and connects. Come, let your imagination take flight amidst the clouds.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Thundercoulds
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Matías Hernández, Jenny Fan & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Jinke
SIZE: 1,300 m2
STATUS: Built
LOCATION: Shenyang (China)
Images: 100architects

ENCHANTED VALLEY

Enchanted Valley
Hospital Materno Infantil de Málaga | Málaga | Spain

Enchanted Valley is a renovation project for the entire children’s leisure & entertainment floor of the Maternal and Child Hospital of Malaga (Spain). Located on the 7th floor of the Hospital, this recreational floor is divided into three well-differentiated spaces: a multipurpose interior space that can serve as an indoor play area as well as a study area; and two outdoor terraces on both sides of the interior space, providing this playful floor with outdoor play and recreation opportunities under the mild weather of Malaga, all of it intended to make the stay of children in the hospital more enjoyable and bearable.

Official Video | 100A Channel

The project was born as an initiative of the Juegaterapia Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission focuses on donating fun through quality play and recreation spaces in Hospitals where children with cancer must remain hospitalized during their harsh treatments.

Click here to make a donation to Juegaterapia

Understanding the important role that happiness and the mood of children play in the success of their recovery, backed up by scientific research that proves the actual benefits of introducing PLAY as part of their recovery, this project seeks to generate a true positive and hopeful impact in that recovery process of children through play and fun, so they can forget about their condition and fill themselves with will to live.

To tackle this motivating project, we have been inspired by the city of Malaga itself, characterized for being a city located between the sea and the mountains. When we realized that the outdoor terraces on the 7th floor enjoyed splendid views of the Mountains of Málaga on the North, and the Sea on the South, we decided to use that as a conceptual idea around which the entire project would revolve.

From there, Enchanted Valley concept was born, with the intention of creating a forest typical of a children’s fairytale on the North terrace and a magical seaside scenario on the South terrace, creating a duality of spaces to explore.

Due to the limited space available on the outdoor terraces, and in an attempt for trying not to compromise accessibility and the “interior-exterior” connection, we decided as a first action to cover the vertical columns, turning them into the trees of said magical forest, thus leaving available the largest possible horizontal surface to incorporate games and floor graphics that allow free playability and promote a more immersive experience.

Said exterior horizontal surfaces are treated mimicking the natural environment, where small flowers and plants sprout on the North terrace while algae and waves emerge of the South terrace, serving as seating and resting elements, or social play objects for interaction between children.

Once having the forest defined on the north terrace and the seaside on the south one, the indoor space is treated as an extension of both towards the interior, using the pavement as a visual element to connect both the outdoor terraces and the indoor space, where everything collides in the middle. The nexus that unites both worlds in the interior space is a central circulation area using wood textures and earthy colors, imitating a mountainous pathway, leaving the lateral areas for leisure, games and recreation, using vegetable color palette with green and yellow hues on the North side, and a marine color palette with blue and aquamarine hues on the South part.

Altogether, Enchanted Valley will set a new standard for children’s leisure and entertainment areas in Hospitals, considering it as a key part of the recovery plan for children and elevating the importance of its role within Hospitals, from a mere space to spend free time to a truly impactful space which strongly contributes to the successful recovery of children, as shown in the research study done jointly by Juegaterapia Foundation and La Paz University Hospital from Madrid.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Enchanted Valley
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Lara Broglio, Mónica Páez, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Ponyo Zhao, Hayley Huang, Jango Zhang & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Fundación Juegaterapia – Hospital Materno Infantil de Málaga – Junta de Andalucía
SIZE: 630 m2
STATUS: Unbuilt
LOCATION: Hospital Materno Infantil de Málaga (España)
PHOTOGRAPHY: 100 Architects
VIDEOGRAPHY: This is Lalo Productions

LOTUS POND

Lotus Pond
Wuxi | jiangsu | China

Lotus Pond is 100 Architect’s creative design response to the invitation from the Local Government of Luoshe Town to participate in their open bidding for the renovation of Luoshe Town’s Main Square, a 10,000 m2 plaza in the neuralgic center of Luoshe Town, a famous and historical cultural town in the south of Yangtze River, with more than 1,600 years of history, located in the North-West of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China.

Lotus Pond (under construction) | Official Video | 100 Channel

The Main Square of Luoshe is the main catalyzer of social life in the Town, a space widely used by its citizens as gathering point, where authorities host official events, concerts, dances and other performances, where ladys get together for group-dancing at night, where elders get together to play mahjong or practice Chinese calligraphy with water on the pavement.

The Urban Planning Bureau was aiming at renovating and modernizing the most significant public space in the Town, to keep being the most relevant public space in the Town, but also to become an urban landmark beyond Luoshe’s limits, that could symbolize the great growth and development experienced by Luoshe, widely known as “China’s Township Star” for its achievements.

Besides renovating the image of the Square, the scope of work included the addition of new public amenities that could enhance the experience of citizens in the public realm, equipping the Square with eye-catching and functional features, such as a performance area, leisure areas, play & entertainment area for children, as well as F&B & retail units. All in all, a public space activation project that aims for a trendy outdoor lifestyle hub and gathering point for the local community as well as for visitors to Luoshe.

The proposal, inspired by traditional Chinese paintings of lotus ponds, where artists usually render images of floating Water Lilies and Oriental Koi fishes, intends the architecturalization of that traditional image turned into a dynamic square. To achieve that, we draw inspiration from geometrical patterns and lines in the pavement design that could resemble water ripples enclosing functional areas while also encouraging certain pedestrian circulations and flows of people around them. In between the water ripples that act as functional cores, rolling stones are used in the pavement design to enhance the overall Pond look & feel.

Two large green areas, in the shape of water lilies, are placed facing the two main roads that surround the square, as green buffers to isolate the Square’s inner space from the buzzy roads. This action allows us to have a peaceful oasis of calm within the busy town center.

The central space of the Square counts with a 2.400 m2 obstacles-free main activity core for large public events with a capacity of up to 800 people, also equipped with a large public amphitheater capable of accommodating a large number of spectators in those large events planned by the Town Hall, but also able to act as a main meeting and gathering point during normal days. This public amphitheater is strategically located to cover at the same time the existing access to the car park located beneath the Square.

Around that central core of public activity, we laid out a resting ring composed by a series of 12 colorful and sculptural canopies in the shape of lotus flowers in different blooming stages, which, in addition to being decorative elements, provide shelter to the resting mini-plazas hosted beneath them.

The new proposal will also count with a dedicated Children Play Area, strategically located in the safest corner of the Square, away from the main roads with heavy traffic and protected by the existing construction that gives vehicles access to the underground parking lot. In order to protect kids from sun and rain, the entire playground is covered with green canopies in the shape of water lilies, conceding an interesting forest-like appearance to kids playing inside. Those green canopies are then multiplied along the retail street adjacent to the residential tower, setting the border between square and retail street.

The most spectacular and significant addition to this new version of the Plaza, is a new Sky Park, a system of elevated platforms is the shape of rolling stones, thought to comply with 3 functions. Firstly, covering both entry & exit car ramps leading to the underground parking lot, allowing us to get rid of the existing constructions built for that purpose, and consequently opening up the square towards that service road with important F&B character. Secondly, hosting underneath 3 covered pavilions for relocating the public WC, an indoor Aced resting area for elders, and a rentable commercial space to equip the square with a small convenience store. And last but most innovative, an elevated walkable park equipped with resting and gathering areas besides lush greenery as a new platform for pleasant social interactions, offering new and interesting visuals over the main central performance space and the city itself.

Altogether, the proposal creates a very eye-catching, stimulating and renovated Urban Heart for Luoshe Town, a powerful catalyzer of social life for all citizens and social groups, which will also boost the commercial activity in the area.

Credits

PROJECT NAME: Lotus Pond
DESIGN: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
DESIGN TEAM: Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Michelle Aldora & Yuntong Liu.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM: Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv & Eva Jiang.
CLIENT: Luoshe Town Local Government
SIZE: 15,000 m2
STATUS: Under Construction
LOCATION: Luoshe Town, Wuxi (China)
RENDERS: 100 Architects (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.