Xinghua Community Center Multi Functional Offices by Easy Arch Is Granted the A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Easy Arch honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 28, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Xinghua Community Center Multi Functional Offices by Easy Arch has been granted the A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored 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.

More About Xinghua Community Center Multi Functional Offices

Xinghua Community Center is a shared public building in a historic hutong district of Beijing. The renovation places many uses in one space, including offices, meeting areas, art and fitness activities, rest areas for older residents and shared tools. Low-cost local materials are used for the walls and floors, matching the color and texture of the hutong. High exterior windows were replaced with square windows inside the existing openings, saving cost and energy. The low windows link the interior with the street and can be seen through by children. The gross floor area is 380 square meters.

About Easy Arch

Founded in 2017, Easy Arch, initiated by four young architects, is committed to the renewal of old properties in the urban core area, hoping to revitalize the city. A coffee plan initiated by eight life-loving architects. We used to depict the city with a brushstroke, and now we are quietly waiting for you in the high-rises of Beijing. Joy Beans Cafe is open in the community called Hutong Neighborhood Complex which is "urban micro renewal" and regain the Hutong Culture. All the founders are architects. The store changes the way people get along with each other and make the living environment more comfortable and full of love.

Award Record

This recognition makes Easy Arch a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2021 - 2022 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

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. It 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. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/140450
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/140450
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!140450
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/303937

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: Xinghua Community Center Multi Functional Offices
Function: Multi Functional Offices
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Dim Gray, Light Slate Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Slate Gray and Dark Gray
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Easy Arch
Country: China
Recognition: A' Design Award
Edition: 2021 - 2022
Design ID: #140450

Credits

Image Credits: Ruijing Photography

Design Details

Unique Properties: Unlike other single-functional buildings in hutongs, this building preserves the surrounding ecology while bringing vitality to the historic district (i.e., urban micro-renewal), with increasing interaction between the community and the residents. The design of interactive windows, instead of the traditional hutong's enclosed exterior walls, connects the exterior to the interior, allowing even children to easily see the interior through the low windows.
Inspiration: The project renovates a traditional community service center in hutong. Due to the lack of public space, residents need a larger living room and shared space. The designer superimposed different functions (such as salon experience, office, negotiation meeting, art, fitness, rest for the elderly, shared tools, shared health equipment, reception for various affairs, etc.) into this space, leaving the space maximumly open to the residents and making the traditional community rejuvenated.
Research: The improvement of the quality of the area is the key to the transformation of the city. The preservation of the old city also includes the preservation of the traditional culture and lifestyle of the residents. Community centers share resources with neighboring merchants to bring more benefits to residents and increase community vitality. It injects new experiences into hutong life, generates a sense of close interaction, and becomes a scarce public space in the core of Beijing at present.
Challenge: The project is located in the historic district, and there is a serious lack of public space within 500m of the project center; the building density is high, and the limited space requires more integrated supporting service buildings 2. Government subsidies for activities are very limited. How to obtain more activity resources and change the quality of life of surrounding residents? Improve the existing environment through design, and replace more resource services with flexible space
Realization and Technology: The walls and floors of the project are made of Hutong low-cost environmentally materials, and the color and texture are in line with the characteristics of Hutong. The exterior windows were all high windows, which were changed to square windows to increase interaction. The new windows in the horizontal direction are all within the scope of the exterior windows, without expanding the openings, saving costs and energy. The house is surrounded by trees, and residents can enjoy the pool view.
Operation and Interaction: The project is located in an important historical and cultural district of Beijing, with a limited area for multi-functional composite space utilization. The merchants in the district plan various interesting experience activities for the community center for free, enriching the activities of the surrounding residents, and the merchants can increase their stickiness with the surrounding residents in the activities. There are also many famous handicraft masters gathered around the project, and the community center will regularly hold intangible cultural heritage salon experience activities.
Project Duration and Location: Design time: 2020.4-2020.7 Construction period: 2020.9-2021.1 Location: No. 8, Changqiao Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing
Specifications: Gross floor area: 380 m2 Roof terrace area: 220 m2
Keywords: Urban Micro-Renewal, Community Service Center, Hutong Living Room, Community Neighborhood Complex, Shared Space, Openness, Resident Participation