The Weave Whare Mātauranga by Yuchen Qiu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Waihanga, Whare me te Hanganga Competition Category.
ParahiWaihanga· 2026
The Weave Whare Mātauranga
by Yuchen Qiu
Client: Studio Liminal
A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Waihanga Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #181654The Design
About The Weave Whare Mātauranga
Ko Te Weave he whare mātauranga i hangaia mā te whakamahi anō urutau i tētahi kura tūmatanui pereki ā-hoahoa H i Aotearoa o Niu Ioka, USA. Ka tangohia te hononga o waenganui, ka whakakapia ki tētahi ātōriuma rākau papatipu me te karaihe rino-iti e hanga ai i tētahi papa ako ngātahi. Ka whakaritea te ako hei huringa o te whakaako, o te whakaharatau, me te matapaki, te whaiwhakaaro rānei. Ka honoa e te papa ngātahi ēnei momo mahi ki te hikoinga kitea, ngā tapa ako, me ngā arawhata huihui. Mā te māramatanga o te rā me te takotoranga mārama e āwhina te whakamahinga o ia rā. Mā te whakamahi anō i te anga pereki me te hanganga rākau ka whakaitihia te waro whakauru me te para hanga.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Parahi
Ko The Weave Whare Mātauranga te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko The Weave Whare Mātauranga he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a The Weave Whare Mātauranga i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Adaptive reuse of a New York City H-plan masonry public school. The central connector is removed and replaced with a mass timber and low iron glass atrium that organizes the School of Methodology, where learning cycles through instruction, practice, and discussion or reflection. The new commons weaves these modes into a visible shared heart, increasing daylight, orientation, and flexible study and gathering space while reuse and timber reduce embodied carbon and construction waste.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Selective demolition of the existing connector enables a prefabricated mass-timber (GLT/CLT) frame inserted within the retained masonry shell. New low-iron curtain wall integrates with timber nodes. Assembly is conceived as a dry, bolted system for fast erection and disassembly. Reuse of the existing structure and timber construction reduce embodied carbon and site waste.
- Tags
- Adaptive Reuse, Educational Architecture, Mass Timber, Low-Carbon Design, Daylighting, Learning Commons, Embodied Carbon, Passive Strategies, Glass Atrium, Healthy Materials
- Production Technology
- The intervention is conceived as a prefabricated mass timber structure integrated with the retained masonry building. Glulam columns and beams support CLT floor and roof panels, connected with bolted steel plates for dry assembly. A low iron insulated glass facade ties the new atrium to the existing wings. Reusing the shell and using timber reduces embodied carbon, site waste, and disruption.
- Design Challenge
- The key challenge was inserting a contemporary commons into a heavy masonry H-plan while keeping the original building legible and improving sustainability. The proposal had to balance selective demolition, structural feasibility, and code-driven circulation with daylight, thermal comfort, and long-term adaptability. Achieving a light, transparent intervention without increasing energy demand required careful sectional iteration.
- Research
- Research examined how an H-plan school can support learning through instruction, practice, and reflection while improving environmental performance through reuse. Methods included precedent study, movement/adjacency diagrams, daylight and visibility mapping, and iterative sectional/structural studies. The resulting strategy replaces the central connector with a mass-timber and glass commons that increases shared space, legibility, and low-energy flexibility.
- Inspiration
- The project was motivated by two goals: strengthen the learning cycle of instruction, practice, and reflection, and extend the life of a durable public school building through reuse. Typical H-plan schools separate activities into wings with weak shared space. A transparent mass timber commons in the former connector creates a social and academic heart, improves daylight and comfort, and supports long term adaptability with lower environmental impact.
- Project Duration
- New York City, USA. Adaptive reuse proposal for an existing H-plan public school building, emphasizing reuse of the masonry shell and a low-carbon mass-timber intervention.
- Operation Flow
- The school is organized around three learning modes, instruction, practice, and discussion or reflection, connected by a shared atrium. Daily circulation becomes a learning loop with study balconies, library niches, and informal steps for gathering. Transparent edges support supervision and collaboration, while flexible furniture allows spaces to shift from quiet study to group discussion and exhibitions. Daylight and passive visibility reduce reliance on artificial lighting and support a healthy, low energy environment.
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