Cloud Yard, China by Wutopia Lab

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Appreciation towards Wutopia Lab for providing the following description:

上海北外滩街道委托社区规划师俞挺及其团队Wutopia Lab设计的 “最美微庭院——云院”于2019年国庆节落成。这也是俞挺主持的城市微空间复兴计划的一个示范案例。

The council of Shanghai North Bund commissioned YU TING, the community planner and his team Wutopia Lab to construct a “Cloud in gutter”, the most beautiful micro courtyard, completed on National Day 2019. And the project is also a demonstration case of the “Urban Humble Space Revival Plan” hosted by Yu Ting.

▼庭院鸟瞰，aerial view © CreatAR Images

不能服老
Unyielding old

社区庭院面积380平方，由一个大的公共绿地和三个小的私家绿地组成。功能上除了需要通行的道路和庭院的绿植，还需要设计规整居民需要的的晾衣架、围栏和花架。它属于一个历史街区，是虹口区长阳路138弄里的一个被居民楼围合的微型公共绿地。这个社区原是二战期间上海最大的犹太难民收容所，现在成为舟山居委所属的自治居民区。尽管居民很努力地维持着住区的体面，但100年的社区毕竟如人老去，一切都显得有些破败和凋敝。政府希望通过城市微更新的方式先改造公共空间，这是作为改善民生的第一步，从而提高社区居民的生活品质，使老区焕发新生。

The courtyard area is 380 cm²and consists of a large public green space and three small private green spaces. For functional requirements, expect the aisle and plants, we also need to design the residents’ drying racks, fences and flower racks. The courtyard is located in a miniature public space surrounded by residential buildings in Lane 138, Changyang Road, Hongkou District, a historical block. Originally the largest Jewish refugee shelter in Shanghai during World War II, the community has now become an autonomous residential area of Zhoushan neighborhood committee. Despite the efforts of the residents to maintain the decency, the communities of 100 years are still dilapidated and dilapidated. The government hopes to transform the public space through the way of “Urban Humble Space Revival Plan”, as the first step to Improve people’s livelihood, thus improve the quality of life of residents, make the old district rejuvenate.

▼街区环境，neighborhood context © CreatAR Images

▼“旧城里的白云”，“Cloud in gutter” © CreatAR Images

看不见的管道
Invisible pipes

第一次在现场，建筑师就能感受到居民的强烈的焦躁与不安。公共绿地荒草丛生，无人打理，在满是居民的社区中心荒废着。不过居民面临更大的问题是，老旧的地下管道年久失修，常年堵塞，一到下雨天窨井积水，返恶臭，整个小区都笼罩在臭味之中，相比而言道路坑洼倒是变得可以接受的。这时的居民是不关心好看难看，只要求路好走，污水好排，没气味。

居民的焦虑促使建筑师决定把第一阶段工作放在场地设计上，疏通并置换地下管道，让场地不再积水返臭。第二阶段才是做地面上的景观改造，创造一个小而美的庭院。隐蔽工程是计划外的工作。街道部门和建筑师经过多次开会论证，在不增加预算的前提下，考虑到老区地下管线交织复杂，决定一次性重建新的雨污管道。在取得居民的认可后于2019年5月开挖施工。

▼场地原貌，the existing site © Wutopia Lab

At the first time at the scene, the architect can feel intense anxiety and uneasinessarchitect of the residents. The public green space was overgrown with weeds and nobody cares. However, the biggest problem is that the underground pipeline was in disrepair and blocked all the year round. The inspection wells accumulate water and return to the stink which envelops the whole community when it rains. At that time, the residents did not care about the ugly, as long as the road can walk, the sewage can discharge, and no smell.

The residents’ anxiety prompted architects to put the first step of work on site design, dredge and replace the underground pipeline, so that the site is no longer stinking. And the second step is to make landscape transformation, thus create a small and beautiful courtyard. And the concealed work is an unplanned work. Considering about the complexity of the underground pipeline, through the discussions between the neighborhood committee and architect, the new pipeline was rebuilt without increasing the budget. After the consent of residents, construction of the project started in May, 2019.

▼更新后的庭院，the courtyard after renovation © CreatAR Images

可以阅读的庭院：白云和山
Readable courtyard: Clouds and Mountains

Wutopia Lab在实践中尝试用抽象表达之外的符号表达形成可阅读的设计。云院就是一个可以使用更可以阅读的庭院。

所谓可用，就是庭院不能沦为大型盆景。所以我们要设计亭子，曲径以及容易打理但有一定观赏性的植物。要看上去不相干的晾衣架，围栏等等也变成景观的一部分。它能够聚集人聊天休息，小孩可以玩耍，它应该是个户外公共客厅而非成为日渐消沉的社区的中心。只有以邻里之间的欢声笑语取消极抱怨而代之。

▼轴测图，axon © Wutopia Lab

Wutopia Lab tried to express through the symbols other than abstract in practice, form a readable design. The “Cloud in gutter” is just an available and readable courtyard.

The courtyard can’t be a large “Potted plant”, that’s the mean of available. So we designed the pavilion, the winding path, and planted some ornamental and easy-to-care plants. Make the irrelevant drying racks and fences become part of the landscape. It can gather people to chat and rest, and children can play. It should be an outdoor public living room, to become the center of a deteriorating community, only with the laughter of neighbors.

▼庭院成为社区中的户外公共客厅， the courtyard becomes an outdoor public living room in the community © CreatAR Images

▼晾衣架，围栏等等也变成景观的一部分，the irrelevant drying racks and fences become part of the landscape © CreatAR Images

所谓可阅读就是要以可以理解的故事性把可用的空间组织起来便于使用者的理解和诠释。所以在这个设计中，我使用了Wutopia Lab最常用的两个符号形式白云和山。白云这个始于我女儿堂堂四岁诗歌，第一次在古北一号图书馆使用，象征着飘渺不定但美好事物。这次是将其建筑化变成用于公共空间休憩之用的亭子的屋盖轮廓线。和绿化相得益彰。山，与之联系的就是山水，和云一样，是中国传统的基本符号。Wutopia Lab的山的符号经过六合院，5周年微展到嘉里中心的青绿山水已经形成了基本规制。这次通过对Wutopia Lab的山形符号的调整，统一了围栏，晾衣架和置物架的形式。一组连绵不断但厚度和透明度不同的装置既满足了功能又实际上变成了一个层层叠叠屏障的隐喻，形成一个可以理解的寓言，新建的公共绿地就是白云笼罩下的仙山背后的秘境，它是周围日渐老去社区的一个希望。

▼分析图，diagram © Wutopia Lab

Organize the available space with a comprehensible stories, and make it easy to understand and interpret. So in this project, we used the two symbol of “Clouds” and “Mountain”, the most commonly used symbol of Wutopia Lab. The symbol “Clouds” began in my daughter ‘s poems, the first use is in the project “Underground Forest”, which symbolizes the uncertain but beautiful things.And this time, it was built into the roof outline of a pavilion used for public space rest, complement each other with greening. The “Mountain” is relating to the mountains and rivers, like “Clouds”, they are the basic symbols of Chinese tradition. After the practice in“6X Yard”、“Wutopia Lab the 5th Anniversary Exhibition”, “Blue Hill-scape Under the Red Clouds”in Kerry Center, the used of symbol “Mountain” by Wutopia Lab has formed the basic regulations. And this time, through the adjustment of symbol “Mountain” , we unified the form of fences, clothes hangers and shelves. A continuous set of installation with different thicknesses and transparency that not only fulfills the basic function, but becomes a metaphor for layers of barriers, thus formed an comprehensible fable. The new public space is just the mystery behind the fairy mountain covered by white clouds, and it’s a hope for the surrounding aging community.

▼通过对Wutopia Lab的山形符号的调整统一了围栏，晾衣架和置物架的形式，the form of fences, clothes hangers and shelves were unified through the adjustment of symbol “Mountain” © CreatAR Images

▼花架和座位细部， shelves and seating area © CreatAR Images

符号是一种不被专业看好的尝试
Symbol is an attempt not favored by profession

我曾经是藐视过符号表达的。可是在微空间改造中，发现抽象的建筑设计表达容易因为居民的不解而被忽视。上海旧区的居民处于一种身份的焦虑。人们虽然成为了新城的壮丽而骄傲，但身处日益衰败的旧城，内心深处取觉得自己成为不相称的外人。设计师喜欢的表达在他们眼中都是于己无关的，甚至似乎要伤害他们，其实他们也没啥好伤害的。构建一个提炼过而他们能读懂并能由此发挥诠释而自豪的符号系统，在我眼中是一次可能不被专业看好但值得的冒险。

事实证明，符号可以帮助我们无需多言。施工的过程是枯燥而脏乱的。一开始施工较为顺利，居民满心欢喜的围观地下水道的重建，这部分他们理解。可是当重整地基铺装石材地面。开始做云亭、晾衣架、围栏时，整个形象并没有完整清晰地表达出来，他们无法理解在做什么，也不能忍受未完成而看上去的乱。就开始重重阻拦。他们觉得亭子遮挡了自己的窗，觉得晾衣架和围栏乱七八糟，也有不喜欢植物的居民不容许在自家门前种树。各种各样的投诉接踵而来，项目建筑师被围着骂，施工队举步维艰。而后街道、居委、居民、设计方和施工队经过多次协商、耐心调整，既平衡各方需求，又要达到设计效果。取得居民的谅解得以继续施工。可是等云院完整地出现在居民面前。居民轻而易举通过符号创造的真实梦境，直白地阅读出庭院的故事和象征意义

云院强化了一种独特记忆，即作为居民的自豪感和优越感，使得居民能够通过符号确认长阳路138弄是一种让人们记住自己的存在。在相似性居住中建立一种的新的身份。于是在其他社区居民的艳羡下，居民赞叹道 “虽然我们住的地方小，但我们拥有一个很大很美的花园客厅。”这个客厅在70周年国庆中集合所有138弄居民共度佳节，所以最后是皆大欢喜。

I used to despise symbols. However, in the reconstruction of the “Urban Humble Space”, I find that abstract architectural expression is easy to be ignored because the residents are confused. The residents in old district of Shanghai have an identity anxiety, they feel like they are outsiders in the deep heart, because they are in the declining old city in the magnificent new city. The expressions that designers liked are irrelevant to them, and even seem to hurt them. Creating a refined and readable symbol system that they can be proud of, for me, it’s a risk that may not be favored by the professional but is worth taking.

Proof of fact, symbol can help us express without words. The construction process is boring and messy. At first the construction was smooth and the residents were delighted to see the reconstruction of the underground waterway. But the residents were constantly obstructing when the foundation is rebuilt, the Pavilion, clothes hangers and the fence started construction, because they haven’t seen a clear look of this transformation yet, and couldn’t stand the mess, they showed no understanding. Some residents thought pavilions cover their windows, some think clothes hangers and fences were in a mess, and some residents who don’t like plants were not allowed to plant trees in front of their own doors. At that time, various complaints came one after another, the architect was accused, and the construction team was struggling. After that, it was negotiated and adjusted by the neighborhood committee, residents, designers and construction teams, hoped to balance the demands and achieve the design effect. Finally, when the courtyard appears in front of the residents, they can easily read the story and the symbolic meaning, and identify with the real dream created by the symbols.

The cloud yard reinforces a unique memory of pride and superiority as a resident, to enable people to confirm NO.138, Changyang Road through the symbols, and establishing a new identity in similar residence. So in the envy of other community residents, they exclaimed, “although we live in a small place, we have a large and beautiful garden living room.” On the 70th anniversary of the National Day, the living room gathered all residents to celebrate the National Day, which turn into a happy ending.

城市微空间复兴计划的意义
Urban Humble Space Revival Plan

城市微空间的意义就在于集腋成裘，通过一个个微案例一点点去影响更大范围空间，从而激活社区乃至城市的活力。微空间复兴不是去创造一个好看的场景，而是力图营建一个场所，在解决实际存在的问题上能创造空间叙事性，使得这个微空间成为一个小区域的活力点而为人所用所爱。符号的价值就在于清晰明确地传递出建筑能够启发智慧和热情，揭露事实，更能宣传主张。

“Urban Humble Space Revival Plan” means add up, gradually influence a larger area through case by case, so as to activate the vitality of communities and even the whole city. Revival of the urban humble space is not to create a good-looking scene, but to create a place, solving practical problems and creating narrative space, make it become a vitality point of some small area and loved by people. The value of symbols is to clearly convey that architecture can inspire wisdom and enthusiasm, expose facts and promote ideas.

项目名称：长阳路138弄城市微更新
设计公司：Wutopia Lab
主持建筑师：俞挺闵而尼
项目建筑师：穆芝霖
施工图团队：上海维英建筑设计有限公司
摄影：CreatAR Images
Location：上海
Area：380 m2
Material：火烧中国黑花岗岩、白色卵石、穿孔铝板、不锈钢、植物
Project Year：2019.10

Project name：Reconstruction of No.138, Changyang Road
Design company：Wutopia Lab
Chief architect：Yu Ting; Min Erni
Project architect：Zhilin MU
Construction drawing team：Win Design
Photograph: CreatAR Images
Location：上海
Area：380 m2
Material：Burning black granite, White pebble, Perforated aluminum sheet, Perforated sheet, Stainless steel, Plant
Project Year：2019.10