Press Release
Meiyuan Pavilion Checkpoint by Thad Is Granted the A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Thad honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ Meiyuan Pavilion Checkpoint by Thad, designed for Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD., has been granted the A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the A' Design Award Means
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Meiyuan Pavilion Checkpoint
Meiyuan Pavilion is a checkpoint structure built at the entrance of an old residential community in Beijing. The pavilion offers shelter, a temperature checkpoint, package storage and a resting place. Three separate circulation routes divide entering pedestrians from residents collecting packages, which reduces congestion. Each module is formed of paper tube columns and beams joined by plywood tenon joints and steel bases. Digital fabrication allowed assembly within 24 hours and left the existing pavement intact.
About Thad
Founded in 1958, the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University (THAD) is a national Grade A architectural design institute located in Beijing, China. Benefiting from the rich academic, research and teaching resources of Tsinghua University, THAD attaches great importance to academic research and the commercialization of technological achievements. THAD is also where faculties such as the School of Architecture and the School of Civil Engineering integrate teaching and research into practice. These factors jointly contribute to our top-ranking performance in planning and design.
Award Record
Thad is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/122044
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/122044
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!122044
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/299703
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.thad.com.cn/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Meiyuan Pavilion Checkpoint
- Function
- Checkpoint
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Cornflower Blue, Saddle Brown, Dark Slate Gray, Chocolate and Sienna
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Thad
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #122044
Credits
- Team
- Wei Zhang, Sisi Liang, Guande Wu, Xiaoqian Zhang, Zhonglin Gong
- Image Credits
- Tri-images, Xiaobin Lv
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Meiyuan pavilion is located in an old community – Meiyuan Community in Beijing, and is expeditiously assembled together for checkpoint during the coronavirus pandemic. It provides multiple imperative functions for the community residents, such as a substantial shelter, temperature checkpoint, package storage, and resting place. The pavilion is inspired by traditional Chinese tectonic language and reinterpret it into a simple and clean modern image for the community.
- Inspiration
- With the outbreak of the Covid-19 in 2020, Chinese government conducts strict entry and exit regulations. Residential communities set up checkpoints to guard outsiders who might carry the virus. Checking process slows down the circulation flow at the checkpoint, and it becomes congested. Therefore, designers create a modular system that is fast and easy to assemble. They also create a package storage space to divert the circulation. Thus, it becomes clear and unimpeded.
- Research
- This experiment attempts to apply new materials and digital fabrication to improve the spatial quality, and provide a social interaction space for residents of old communities. From the post-occupancy evaluation of this project, we find out that under the pavilion elders enjoy chatting with friends, kids like to play with toys, young men and ladies like to stay while waiting for taxi. During the Chinese New Year, the residents even decorate it with red lanterns and Chinese knots. It is good to see how architecture stimulates social interaction and neighborhood vitality.
- Challenge
- The gateway of old communities faces four major challenges. Firstly, limited open space and high pedestrian flow are the primary obstacles. Secondly, in order not to burden the community, eco-friendly and degradable construction materials are preferable. Thirdly, the checkpoint needs to perform its duty during the pandemic as quickly as possible, so construction should be done in 24 hours. Lastly, pavement shall be kept intact because the pavilion is only a temporary structure. In addition, the free-standing foundation should be able to meet the wind load test of extreme climate.
- Realization and Technology
- It is designed as a modular system that can be mass-produced and easy-assembled. Each module includes two paper-tube columns and two paper-tube beams as the main structure, connected by three plywood tenon joints and two steel bases. Lastly, the two steel bases are buried in two wooden beer boxes filled with rocks. These foundations effectively prevent pavement from damage. Construction technology includes waterproof and fireproof experiment, structural innovation lab testing and CNC digital fabrication. Especially with CNC technology，designers could ensure precise cutting, pre-punching, pre-grooving within 0.3mm error.
- Operation and Interaction
- The designers carefully create three independent circulations within the pavilion based on functions. For instance, entering pedestrian circulation is separated from package-picking pedestrian circulation. Hence, the diversion not only decrease the risk of exposure to virus, but also increases traffic efficiency significantly.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project is located in Beijing. The project started in June 2020, and completed in November 2020.
- Specifications
- The dimension of pavilion is 9880mm x 6860mm; height is 3920mm; gross building area is 55.8sqm; in which 43sqm is passageway, and 12.8sqm is package storage space.
- Keywords
- Beijing, China, Covid-19, Checkpoint, Paper-tube, Plywood, Pavilion, Digital Fabrication
