stefano boeri's china office to build rehabilitation center in shenzhen

stefano boeri’s chinese office has won an international competition to build a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities. located in shenzhen’s longhua district, the project takes the form of a fully accessible building with integrated green terraces and gardens dedicated to rehabilitation. to be constructed over the next three years, the development will be sited next to an urban park and directly connected to the city’s light mobility system.

all images © stefano boeri architetti china

entirely dedicated to people with disabilities, aged from 16 to 60, the rehabilitation center is a pilot project for china with a pioneering concept of social inclusion and cohesion for its patients. in addition to rehabilitation, the design by stefano boeri architetti china includes a wide range of functions such as training, recreational and artistic activities, accommodation, education and work spaces, and a museum. there is also a sports center for competitions, individual and team training, and numerous structures and training courses dedicated to different types of disabilities.

‘our project opens up a new perspective on the architecture of large rehabilitation centers,’ says stefano boeri. ‘this is firstly because it perceives the concept of motor and/or cognitive disability not as an example of fragility suffered by a minority of people but as a condition that is common to us all, even if only during one phase of our life. secondly, it offers an idea of total accessibility to spaces and rehabilitation services and thirdly because in recognizing the extraordinary therapeutic quality of greenery and nature, it offers an astonishing amount of accessible green and open spaces dedicated to all different styles of rehabilitation.’

the therapeutic roof garden, which houses native plant species, provides ample space for vegetation. throughout the scheme, aromatic herbs and healing plants are arranged in the open spaces to mirror the changing paths and architectural volumes. green spaces are integrated with advanced renewable energy production systems that take advantage of natural ventilation and collected rainwater. the building has an open public courtyard at its center that acts as a focal point linking different functional areas.

‘though inspired by the dynamism and climate of shenzhen, stefano boeri architetti china’s intention was to offer a kind of architecture capable of offering the strength and stability of classic design,’ says xu yibo, partner at stefano boeri architetti china. ‘in fact, our rehabilitation center will be able to blend nature and landscape in search of the mature, safe and welcoming character of the city.’ see more projects by stefano boeri architetti on designboom here.

project info:

name: rehabilitation center
location: shenzhen, china

architect: stefano boeri architetti china
partner: stefano boeri, yibo xu
project director: pietro chiodi

competition phase —
concept design: luojia xu, sebastiano cattiodoro
schematic design: juan liu, luojia xu, sebastiano cattiodoro, mohamed yasser elsarif, jinye du
structure consultant: lei gu

design and development phase —
design team: juan liu, luojia xu, sebastiano cattiodoro, mohamed yasser elsarif, jinye du, yinxin bao,yitao huang

client: engineering design management center of bureau of public works of shenzhen municipality