A joint design workshop with Tongji University in Shanghai, focused on redeveloping the old Li-long row houses. As high-rises went up, the Li-long suffered overcrowding and poor conditions, and residents were being pushed out.

What drew our attention was how the alleys were used — car-free, residents-only lanes shared in a half-private, half-public way, where people played mahjong, cooked, and even bathed. We proposed building those alleys up into three dimensions, keeping private space to a minimum, and composing the housing from small units that only work if the shared lanes are truly shared. The aim was to offer affordable living while preserving a sense of life held in common.