Residential Layout / PROJECT

Shanghai 48 m² Home for Living and Work

Shanghai
Relocating the stair to the center allows platforms, built-in cabinetry, an island and masonry furniture to integrate living, work, gathering, dining, storage and bathroom functions within a 48-square-meter two-level home.Designer: Lu Haining

Shanghai 48 m² Home for Living and Work
00PROJECT OVERVIEW
01 / EXISTING CONDITION

This two-level old house in Shanghai has a total area of about 48 square meters. It needed to support daily living, work and client meetings, while the original stair disrupted the layout and the kitchen and bathrooms could not be extensively relocated.

02 / CLIENT BRIEF

The brief was to accommodate living, work, meetings, dining, storage, laundry and bathrooms on both levels while retaining the original kitchen location and assigning a clear use to every structural element.

03 / DESIGN APPROACH

The stair is relocated first. Initial steps raise the stair zone and place it at the center of the ground floor, where it becomes the structure that divides and organizes the shared areas. This move releases one continuous wall for a western kitchen and full-height storage.

Below the raised stair, cabinetry, an island and a large table are combined to support work, meetings and dining. The masonry sofa is paired with wall cabinetry for display and storage, allowing seating and storage to define the room together.

Because the original kitchen position was difficult to alter, it is retained. The ground-floor bathroom gives up its shower and receives the washing machine, keeping laundry within the wet zone and making the kitchen easier to use.

Upstairs, stepped platforms run along the wall. They support the mattress and combine bedside storage, a multifunction desk and seating within one system of levels. Cabinetry on both sides adds storage for the bedroom and work area.

The upstairs toilet and shower occupy the ends of two corridors. Rather than using separate furniture to divide the plan, the project compresses functions through stair, platform, cabinetry and changes in level, allowing the 48-square-meter home to carry a program closer to that of a conventional 100-square-meter residence.

04 / KEY MOVES
  1. 01Move the stair to the center of the ground floor
  2. 02Release a full wall for the western kitchen and storage
  3. 03Combine island, large table and cabinetry below the stair
  4. 04Connect the masonry sofa with display and storage
  5. 05Integrate laundry into the ground-floor bathroom
  6. 06Combine bed, bedside surface and desk seating through upstairs platforms
  7. 07Use two corridor ends for the toilet and shower
  8. 08Compress and optimize daily functions through changes in level
SPATIAL CHANGE

EXISTING HOUSE / INTEGRATED HOME

Before: the original stair and fragmented functions occupied the limited ground floor01
STARTBefore: the original stair and fragmented functions occupied the limited ground floor
Proposal: the central stair, full-wall storage and shared surface organize living and work02
RESULTProposal: the central stair, full-wall storage and shared surface organize living and work
PROJECT SEQUENCE

Read the project as a sequence of spatial decisions, from structure and circulation to the final lived scene.

Before: the exterior context and existing conditions of the Shanghai old house
01Before: the exterior context and existing conditions of the Shanghai old house
Ground and upper floor plans: the central stair reorganizes living, work, meetings and storage
02Ground and upper floor plans: the central stair reorganizes living, work, meetings and storage
Ground floor overview: the central stair becomes the organizing core of the shared space
03Ground floor overview: the central stair becomes the organizing core of the shared space
Centering the stair releases a full wall for a continuous western kitchen and storage
04Centering the stair releases a full wall for a continuous western kitchen and storage
Overhead view: island, large table, masonry sofa and stair organize the ground-floor program
05Overhead view: island, large table, masonry sofa and stair organize the ground-floor program
Upper bedroom: a wall-side platform supports the mattress and connects storage on both sides
06Upper bedroom: a wall-side platform supports the mattress and connects storage on both sides
Stepped platforms combine bedside surface, desk and seating within one level system
07Stepped platforms combine bedside surface, desk and seating within one level system
The central stair and shared surface allow living, work, meetings and dining to coexist
08The central stair and shared surface allow living, work, meetings and dining to coexist
PROJECT FILM

A complete walkthrough of the central stair and integrated program across two levels