Best integrated rehabilitation community design for Global Awards

NEW YORK: The shortlist for the best integrated rehabilitation community design has been declared.

Over 250 designs have been considered by the awards secretariat. One of the finalists in this category is shown above.

Stefano Boeri Architetti has won the international competition for the construction of the largest and most innovative Rehabilitation Centre in Shenzhen, China. With his Chinese office, SBA was selected by a jury composed of local and international figures such as Peter Cook and Sou Fujimoto. Planned to be built in the next three years, the project will put in place “a set of green terraces and overlapping spaces in a sustainable system combining nature, architecture and biodiversity and including internal gardens dedicated to rehabilitation”.

Located in the south-east of China, in an area currently undergoing considerable development and expansion, the SBA-designed Shenzhen Rehabilitation Center is fully accessible and completely integrated into the urban fabric of the Longhua district. On that note, Xu Yibo, partner at Stefano Boeri Architects China, states that the “rehabilitation center will be able to blend nature and landscape in search of the mature, safe and welcoming character of the city”.

Adjacent to an urban park and directly connected to the city’s light mobility system, the development is entirely dedicated to people with disabilities aged from 16 to 60. Recognized because of its innovative approach to disability issues, the center is a pioneer of social inclusion and cohesion for the disabled in China. Combining aspects that have so far not been investigated like the integration of green spaces in continuity with all the different functions and at every level, and the desire to open up the structure towards the city creating a welcoming and permeable building, the proposal was in fact chosen because of its ground-breaking attitude towards the problematic.

The Global Award winner will be announced in December in London. (Globals)