Context

The project integrates well-being, place-making and user participation to revive existing school spaces. The college is a school for secondary students who are at A-levels aiming to enter Universities. Under an elite education system, students often find themselves too stressed to face their studies. The tearoom acts as a buffer zone for students to meditate and relax in their academic life.

Process

The design is researched through workshops to engage the students and teachers. The teachers and students are engaged in envisioning the future through drawings and discussion; subsequently, programmes were determined by analysing their visions. Students were guided to draw comics to allow the designer to understand the feeling of places and the sense of the school.

Design

The design utilises a small room which initially serves as a feeding room for staff and storage. It is redesigned with tea-drinking activities as well as keeping the original feeding room function as necessary. The bar counter is designed as a tea serving area to prepare tea with a water supply; when needed, the counter could be closed by a shutter to allow female staff for private feeding activities. A platform is designed by the window to enjoy the natural lighting, with sunken seating to allow various seating formats for students and staff to relax with their shoes off. The activities table at the corner of the room allows students to have group discussions for various activities.