Stefano Boeri Architetti’s Chinese office has won an international competition with its design for the Rehabilitation Center of China, a facility that is expected to be the largest and most innovative of its kind in the country. Located in Shenzhen’s Longhua district, the center will serve people with disabilities ages 16 to 60. Designed as a visual extension of the adjacent urban park, the building will be topped with landscaped terraces, including a therapeutic roof garden with native plant species as well as aromatic herbs and healing plants. Slated for construction over the next three years, the Rehabilitation Center is a pilot project for China in exploring social inclusion and cohesion for people who have disabilities. The building will encompass a wide range of functions including rehabilitation, training, recreation, the arts, accommodation, education, office spaces and a museum. The facility will also host a sports center for competitions, individual and team training and a system of training courses aimed at rehabilitating various disabilities through physical, sensory, mental and other exercises. Related: NBBJ to design Tencent’s futuristic “Net City” in Shenzhen “Our project opens up a new perspective on the architecture of large rehabilitation centres,” Stefano Boeri said. “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 building’s terraced design combined with its accessible, landscaped roofs will give it the appearance of small green mountain. In addition to the integration of accessible green spaces throughout, the eco-friendly building will feature advanced renewable energy production systems and rainwater collection. + Stefano Boeri Architetti Images via Stefano Boeri Architetti
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Rehabilitation Center of China is topped with a healing roof garden
