The Stage

Shanghai, China

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The Stage

Shanghai, China

Firm

衍述设计 Studio RE+N

Type

Landscape + Planning › Public Park Playground

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2024

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$0 - 10K

The Stage is a community micro-renewal project located in Luoshan Huayuan, an aging residential complex in Pudong, Shanghai. Studio RE+N was invited to reimagine a forgotten circular planter at the edge of a small green space—a leftover from the original planning era—into a catalyst for community interaction and joy.

Rather than inserting a singular function, the design treats the space as a stage in the broadest sense: not just for performances, but for life itself. The circular geometry is preserved and reinterpreted, wrapped with continuous curved seating and connected to a gentle sloping platform. This reconfiguration subtly delineates multiple zones for sitting, gathering, playing, or simply pausing under the trees.

Minimal interventions—a refined palette of steel plate, terrazzo-like paint, and soft landscaping—allow the site to remain open to interpretation. Children now climb and chase one another around the ring. Seniors sit in shaded spots for conversation or quiet observation. Residents occasionally bring out a speaker and dance. On weekends, the circular stage becomes a site for spontaneous community performances. The old planter, once a neglected border object, is now a shared centerpiece.

The joy here is not loud or monumental. It is layered in the textures of everyday life: in overheard laughter, casual greetings, and intergenerational cohabitation of space. The Stage reflects a belief in “small but certain happiness”—that even minimal, low-cost interventions can plant seeds of pride, connection, and joy in the city’s overlooked corners.

More than a structure, The Stage is a living prompt for participation. It is a place for unscripted encounters to unfold—a soft stage where the community itself becomes the performer.