a Floating Yellow Stage Activates an open Courtyard in Shanghai
In Shanghai’s Pudong district, Studio RE+N has transformed a neglected circular planter within the Luoshan Huayuan residential community into an elevated steel platform designed for shared neighborhood activity. The intervention introduces a 4.5-meter-diameter circular stage that replaces the former planter, reactivating a section of the courtyard that had remained largely underused.
The structure is assembled from eight prefabricated pie-shaped steel panels supported by a single umbrella-like column with variable-section cantilever beams. This configuration lifts the platform above the ground plane, creating the impression of a floating surface while maintaining structural efficiency. The folded steel plate surface rises and dips across the platform, forming a topography that supports a variety of informal uses, including sitting, leaning, stretching, climbing, and reclining. Rather than serving a single function, the public platform accommodates multiple forms of everyday activity across different age groups.
Painted in bright yellow, the stage contrasts with the surrounding gray concrete of the existing courtyard. The color establishes a clear visual focus while linking new elements introduced throughout the site, including benches, handrails, and ground markings. The surrounding pavement incorporates a radial pattern that extends outward from the stage, creating simple play grids and visually connecting the platform to adjacent spaces within the courtyard.
all images courtesy of Studio RE+N
Studio RE+N Introduces the Steel Platform for Community Use
The project responds to spatial conditions typical of many early-2000s residential developments in China, where landscaped areas were designed primarily as static green spaces. In Luoshan Huayuan, the original garden included seating and wisteria trellises but was used mainly by elderly residents and young children, with limited capacity to support changing community activities. As resident-organized clubs and gatherings increased, the need for a more adaptable communal space became evident.
Studio RE+N developed the proposal through a participatory process that included site walks, resident interviews, and presentations with neighborhood committees and property managers. These discussions identified the need for a central gathering point capable of supporting both organized events and informal daily use. The stage concept emerged as a flexible spatial framework rather than a fixed program. On weekdays, the platform functions as a place for after-school play, casual seating, and quiet observation within the courtyard. During weekends or community events, the same surface can serve as a small performance stage or gathering point. The folded geometry allows several activities to occur simultaneously, enabling children, parents, and elderly residents to share the space without rigid separation.
The structural system was designed for efficient fabrication and rapid installation. Each of the eight steel panels was prefabricated with semicircular edge openings before being transported to the site for assembly and welding. Handrails along the raised edges are formed from bent solid round steel bars. These elements provide safety while also functioning as supports for stretching and leaning.
the 4.5-meter-diameter stage, assembled from eight prefabricated pie-shaped steel panels
Folded Steel Elements Extend the Stage Into the Courtyard
Additional seating elements throughout the courtyard follow a similar structural logic. Independent benches are supported by single-row pedestal bases and topped with folded steel plates, creating lightweight forms that echo the stage’s geometry. The consistent use of yellow paint across these elements reinforces the visual identity of the intervention. Existing site structures were retained where possible. The wisteria trellis surrounding part of the courtyard was preserved and upgraded with a suspended cable display system. Thin steel cables anchored to the pergola structure allow the space to function as a rotating exhibition gallery for community notices, artwork, and temporary displays. Existing concrete benches were also upgraded with folded-metal seat surfaces and slender rod backrests.
The base of the stage incorporates gravel paving and a small community garden area. Beneath the elevated platform, a metal mesh panel encloses the structural beams, allowing maintenance access while ensuring safety for children and pets using the courtyard. The project approaches micro-renewal as a gradual process rather than a completed transformation. By introducing a lightweight, structurally independent intervention within the existing courtyard, the design creates new spatial possibilities without extensive reconstruction. Since completion, the stage has supported a range of everyday activities and community events, demonstrating how modest architectural additions can expand the social capacity of residential environments. Through minimal material intervention and a flexible spatial strategy, the project repositions a previously overlooked planter as a shared platform for neighborhood life.
children climb and play on the folded steel surface of the circular stage
a resident reads on the new folded-plate bench beneath the wisteria trellis
oblique view showing the stage’s cantilever structure and its relationship to the surrounding courtyard
the yellow steel stage appears floating above gravel paving and an adopted garden
residents of all ages gather around the stage for a community event
detail of the folded steel edge and bent round-bar handrail, designed for leaning and stretching
overall view of the site with new yellow benches, stage, and ground markings set against existing greenery
close-up of the umbrella-like single column and variable-section cantilever beams supporting the stage
aerial view of the completed site showing the yellow stage, radial ground pattern, and renovated wisteria trellises
project info:
name: THE STAGE — Shanghai Luoshan Huayuan Community Micro-Renewal
designer: Studio RE+N
lead designers: Yuting Zhang, Pu Zhang
location: Shanghai, China
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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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