Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Discovery Centre, Shanghai, China | year: 2023 | status: built | area: 535m2 | team: Annette Chu, Joyce Wong, Gabriel Lee, Morty Tsui, Hugo Chan, Brandon Leung and Owen Ma | photo credits: Bai Yu
Award: Gold for Interior Design Best Education, Perspective A&D Award 2023
Children learn through discovering and playing. In this Infant and Toddler Discovery Centre, we created a dedicated space for toddlers to explore freely. Starting from a simple rectangular floor plan, we introduced two large wonder “stones” that carve out a fluid negative space around which children can wander and discover.
The two stones are thoughtfully carved to form different learning zones and embedded with play equipment for climbing, sliding and active play. They also define a central plaza for gathering and group activities. An elevated net connects the two stones, offering children a multi-level experience. Play structures vary in height to encourage both vertical and horizontal movement. The floor is divided into colourful sections to help children understand spatial purpose visually. With no dead ends, the complex yet intuitive circulation creates an endless journey of physical and mindful exploration through climbing, sliding and searching in and around the two wonder stones.
