The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli by Yuchen Qiu

The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli by Yuchen Qiu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse in Calchihualiztli, Calmanaliztli ihuan Tlatecpanaliztli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

BronseCalchihualiztli· 2026

The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli

by Yuchen Qiu

Client: Studio Liminal

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse Winner in Calchihualiztli Category

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The Design

About The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli

The Weave ce tlamachtiloyan calli tlen omochihchiuh ica occepa itequitiliz ce huehue tepancalli tlamachtiloyan calli tlen quipiya H-machiyotl ipan New York City, USA. In tlahco tzalantli omoquixti ihuan omopatlac ica ce hueyi calixtli tlachihchiuhtli ica cuahuitl ihuan tehuilotl tlen amo miec tepoztli quipiya, tlen quichihua ce cepan tlamachtiloyan. In tlamachtiliztli momamachtia queh ce yahualiztli: tlamachtiliztli, momachtiliztli, ihuan tlahtolli ahnozo tlanemililiztli. In cepan tlamachtiloyan quinnepanoa inin tlamantin ica nesi ohtli, tlamachtiloyan tentli, ihuan mamatlatl campa monechicoa. In tonalli itlanextli ihuan chipahuac ohtli quipalehuia in momoztlaeh itequitiliz. Occepa itequitiliz in tepancalli ihuan in cuauhchihualiztli quitlacotlaltia in carbono ihuan in tlazolli tlen quiza itech in calchihualiztli.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse

The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Bronse, hueyi tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli tlachihualli in motenehua ipampa yancuic tlamantli, tlamatiliztli ihuan ixtlamatiliztli. In quicuicah Bronse ca tlachihualli in quipia toltecayotl ihuan quinextia in cenca miac nemiliztli ihuan tlamatiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli ca tlazohtli tlamantli, mahuiztic ihuan cualli. Ni dizayno in quicuic Bronse quipia cualli toltecayotl ihuan quitta in tlen tepiton. The Weave Tlamachtiloyan Calli quipaquiltia in tlacah ihuan quitlamahuiztiltia in intlanequiliz.

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.