Rosso Shenzhen

Art Education Center

Art and design education has become increasingly popular in China within the recent years, where young teenagers are encouraged to explore in creativity while studying abroad. The Rosso Fashion & Arts Education is a nationwide institution that provides consultation and education support for students applying to international art and design colleges. As one of the best design institution in China, Rosso decided to expand their campus into Shenzhen. The aim of the design was to establish a strong brand image that associates to art and design directly. Over intense competition among well-known designers and architects, we were able to win the project that fully satisfied Rosso’s needs of international modern style. The end result preserved large areas of the original building’s qualities, including the concrete structure and the metal floor panel. The merge of concrete and metal with modern materials, glass and stainless steel, created a unique but stylish space that had the both qualities of the raw aesthetic of brutalism and the transparency of of modernism.

Rosso Shenzhen has one exhibition room, three classrooms, three consultation rooms, a library, a big open study place, a storage, a kitchen, fashion workshop, 2D workshop, 3D workshop and an office. Since there weren’t needs for sound insulation, we decided to create transformable spaces that can switch from three small rooms to one big meeting room, with the use of sliding doors. The flexibility of these rooms can satisfy different needs under various situations, such as lectures scenarios that requires big closed spaces; individual consultations that need small and private meeting rooms; student group discussions that might need one or two room capacities. On top of the flexibility, the light in all spaces renders accurate-color environment, which allows students to work everywhere.

What’s unique about it

When we first met the client on the project site, we found out the concrete structure and the metal-floor system very much representing the brutal reality behind a prosperous city. Our studio would always seek for the intrinsic qualities of existing space that result in an economy of means and restraint. As a result, we exposed the original concrete structure, the metal wire tube, the metal duct and the metal floor panel towards the users. Together with the logical lighting planning, this combination gives an aesthetic sense of industrial style and order.