Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale by Shimu Wang

Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale by Shimu Wang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Uʻamea in Mamanu Fausaga Fale Competition Category.

UʻameaFausaga Fale· 2026

Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale

by Shimu Wang

A' Design Award Uʻamea Winner in Fausaga Fale Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale

O le Thriving o se toe faafouina o foliga i fafo o fale aoga se lua ma se faitotoa fou o le aoga i Taiyuan, Saina. O laupepa alumini ua faauma i vali susulu e faaopoopo ai le paologa i itu o le fale ma natia ai meafaigaluega i fafo ma uaea. E 14.7 mita le maualuga o le faitotoa ma fesootai ai fale e lua e eseese maualuga, ma faavaaia ai le vaaiga i le fale autu o le lotoa aoga. O laupepa uamea sili faata e ufiufi ai le fausaga uamea autu, a o pou tuutuu maninii o paipa uamea sili ma le vali siliva e faaitiitia ai le foliga mamafa i le vaai. O le pito i lalo faata e foliga maualuga atili ai le faitotoa ma faailoa mai ai le tuputupu ae.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Uʻamea

O le A' Design Award Uʻamea na manumalo ai Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale, o se faamaoniga mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu lelei e faataunuu ai manaʻoga faapolofesa ma pisinisi e faamoemoeina mai galuega ua mamanuina lelei. O ē manumalo i le Uʻamea e faaalia ai le tomai tele, le faapitoa maualuga, le malamalama o tagata poto ma le mafai fatufatuaʻi o ē na faia. E faamoemoeina Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale e avea ma mea ua matuā vivii, mataʻina ma pelepelea e aogā ma fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Uʻamea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili o le pisinisi ma e iai uiga faatekonolosi mafai ua fesoʻotaʻi ma le poto ma le taleni. Ona o lona faatuatuaina, e tatau ai Thriving Toe Faafouina o Foliga Fale, Faitotoa Ulufale ona faaaloalogia ma ua mamanuina e tuuina mai ai faaleleiga o le olaga e fesoasoani e faia ai e le lalolagi se nofoaga e sili atu ona lelei.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Aluminum panels finished with bright-colored paint are used for facade detailing, which enhance the rhythm of the elevation and conceal the messy equipment and cables at the same time. Besides, the gate organically connects the two buildings of different heights. This gate also becomes a view frame for the main campus building. Design adopts the imagery of 'growth', conveying the wish that students will take root and thrive in their future careers , just like seeds reaching for the sky.
Dimensions & Packaging: Renovated Facade Area: 9581 square meters.
The New Gate: Width 22m x Depth 9.8m x Height 14.7m.
Tags: Modest renovation, Coherence, Rhythm, Vibrant colors, Lightness, Airy, Futuristic aesthetic
Production Technology: Standing at 14.7 meters high, the gate was required to be majestic yet airy. To ensure the gate is visually lightweight, mirror stainless steel panels are chose to clad the main steel structure. The decorative, slender columns surrounding the main steel structure are made of stainless steel pipes finished with silver fluorocarbon paint, further dissolving the visual mass of structure. The mirrored soffit makes the gate appear taller when viewed from below, enhancing the dynamic sense of growth.
Design Challenge: One of the key challenges in the design process was sorting out and rearranging the layout of outdoor equipment. The design had to comprehensively consider the locations of equipment-connected interior rooms, the dimensions of different equipment, drainage routes, and cable positions, lending the building a rhythmic, orderly, and harmonious facade.
Research: This renovation was required to be restrained and frugal. We spent a huge amount of effort to organically unify the individual buildings and use harmonious with variations design language to create visual consistency.
Inspiration: This project contains a facade renovation of two teaching buildings over twenty years old and a construction of a new gate. The buildings front the street and the gate stands between them. The client expected to transform their outdated appearance into vibrant, neat and energetic style. The new school gate should be majestic and futuristic. To meet these requirements, the design revolves around bright colors and a lightweight, airy visual effect.
Project Duration: Design Period: April to June, 2025
Finished time: October 2025
Location: Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
Operation Flow: The automatic doors are installed between the main structural columns and the decorative columns. When opened, they are well concealed within the forest of columns, and when closed, they match the decorative columns well in color. Landscaping at the foot of the slender columns, adds a touch of vitality to the otherwise slightly cold structure. As pedestrians and vehicles traverse the gateway, the experience evokes the sensation of passing through a miniature forest.
Image Credits: Image #1, #2, #3, #4, #5: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Thriving, 2025.