CHRYSALIS – diversify.
CHRYSALIS: Arts Learning Platform
“If you ask a classroom of Chinese students to draw a cat, they will all draw the same cat.”
A quote from a Chinese art teacher that easily reveals the homogeneity of the society. CHRYSALIS aims to alleviate this problem by showing, through architecture, that there are multiple pathways to an end result. A corridor gallery intersects and winds itself through the structure, displaying work or students at work, branching between spaces that are each unique. Three layers of ribbons wrap the building; one acts as an encompassing shade, the next as an interactive level, and the last as an intersecting and drilling piece, and all create non-rigid spaces in between to further indicate fewer boundaries and restrictions.
CONTEXT
Once a small fishing town, Shenzhen has exploded into a flourishing city of high-tech companies and start-ups. Its population exploded from around 30,000 people in 1980 to 14.5 million (as of 2015) following the establishment of the Special Economic Zone in 1979.
As a result of the boom, many of the people of Shenzhen have lost touch with their cultural roots, as a large portion of the people there are migrant workers or just people who have grown up in a society with vastly different values than those of previous generations.
The site is located in the Futian district of Shenzhen, chosen because of Futian's residential nature. The area is perfect for a school, as the residents are predominantly young families. It has an estimated density of 43,500 people per 1 square mile (16,800 per 1 square km).
CHRYSALIS is not meant to replace conventional school, and instead offers supplemental educational programs.
Image from Archdaily
