HAILUN WEST ROAD
GAS STATION
Building Gross Area
500 m²
Year
2024
Location
Shanghai,China
REFUELING IN THE GARDEN
As an international metropolis rich in history and culture, Shanghai has a profound connection with the idea of the “garden”—from the urban memory of garden villas, to the garden-centered lifestyle of social interaction, to the ecological vision of the garden city. Building on this legacy, the project proposes a design concept of “flowers as forests.”
Gas stations play an essential role as urban infrastructure, yet they are often perceived as lifeless, gray spaces. Future infrastructure, however, should embody a people-centered philosophy, integrating natural ecological landscapes and blending into communities with greater openness and warmth. By reimagining the gas station as part of a garden, it can not only fulfill the city’s basic functional needs, but also contribute to environmental protection and enhance the physical and mental well-being of community residents.
“From Car-Centric to People-Centered: A Garden Pavilion Gas Station”
FROM FLOWER TO FOREST, BEYOND BOUNDARIES
The design reimagines the gas station as a “flowers as forests” pavilion, dissolving boundaries with its surroundings. From above, the canopy takes a floral form, while semi-arched steel columns evoke trees, inspired by Shanghai’s white magnolia and the arched façades of its garden villas. Varying heights and interconnected arches blend with greenery, creating a woodland-like setting—a garden gas station where architecture and nature become one.
GREEN ROOF, GREENER BUILDING
To enhance the building’s sustainability, the design incorporates a green roof composed of structural support, protective layers, a drainage and storage layer, non-woven filter fabric, planting soil, and vegetation. The roof is further equipped with a rainwater harvesting system and photovoltaic solar panels, enabling natural resources to operate in a green and regenerative cycle that achieves energy efficiency and environmental protection.
