Text description provided by the architects. Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (SUSAS) adheres to the Expo spirit of “Better City, Better Living”. It has been successfully held for three sessions since 2015 with the concept of “Culture Vitalizes a City, Art Develops a City” and “Artistic City, Artistic Living”. 2021 SUSAS is organized by the Bureau of Natural Resources and Shanghai Local Government. The theme of this year is “15-minutes community life circle — people’s city”. The key agenda is to improve and reactivate community space through the pop-up exhibition. With Shanghai Urban Public Space Design Promotion Center being the convenor and Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute being the curatorial team, 2021 SUSAS will be open from September 25^th till the end of November of this year.

The key exhibition site is located at ShangShengXinSuo on Xinhua Street, Changning District, Shanghai. The exhibition theme consists of three sectors: “15-minutes community life circle • People’s City”, “Community • Meta-space”, and “Cell Plan • Sub-Relationship”. As chief architect, Professor Philip F. Yuan from Tongji University, together with the digital construction team from Fab-Union Technologies and the digital exhibition team from Shanghai Fengyuzhu Culture&Technology, has created six community meta-boxes within only 20 days. These boxes, called “Communicate”, “Connect”, “Cycling”, “Comfort”, “Culture” and “Cloud”, are flexible space modules for diverse public uses.

Communicate. The main venue is called “Communicate”, located at the belt-shaped parking lot. This building features a topological curved wooden roof. The 3D-printed dormant window introduces skylight into the interior to guide visitors through the space. The curved façade facing the square is deformed to be seating stands, opening a spatial dialogue between the surrounding contexts.

The application of robotic wood construction technology and robotic 3D printing technology ensures high-quality and efficient completion of the project while adding a touch of cyborg features.

Connect. The “Connect” box is located in the green space between ShangShengXinSuo and Chenpin Apartment on the north side. Digital wood structure and robotic 3D printing technology are used again to construct the exhibition space. The flowing curve surfaces are prefabricated 3D printed boards. A semi-enclosed porch is created at the entrance, providing a buffer and transition area for the immersive projection interiors. This structure connects the real urban space outside and the virtual urban space inside.

Cycling, Comfort, Culture. Three community boxes, named “cycling”, “comfort” and “culture”, are created to echo the community’s athletic, interactive and cultural life respectively. These boxes adopt a prefabricated assembly construction system that integrates community facilities, smart screens, environmental control devices, solar panels, and other high-tech products into pavilions. The flexible design and mass customization can be quickly adapted to the site and subject to diverse functions, providing activity spaces in the 15-minutes urban life circle.

Cycling. The “cycling” box combines cycling equipment with video projections, making it possible to experience larger space through virtual technology.

Comfort. The “comfort” box, containing digital life tools like video communication networks, is indeed a multifunctional space for working, learning, entertaining, and communicating. 

Culture. The “culture” box is set up as a miniature exhibition space, showcasing artworks that encourage public participation.

Cloud. “Cloud” is a 3D printed pavilion, which transforms the abstract city skyline into a semi-transparent pixelated grid structure. The installation creates an enclosed private area while ensuring free movement below. Transparent, lightweight, and high-strength 3D components were accumulated to mimic the cloud sphere.

Due to the pandemic condition, people are forced to live in restricted areas. Social activities and interactions are greatly reduced during this period of time. As the condition gets better, public spaces will consciously assume the responsibility of awakening social life in the post-pandemic era.