Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
Highly commended in the 2024 AR Emerging awards, Donghua Chen has become captivated by the typology of the shed. In Guangdong, China, where his practice is based, sheds are used routinely and typically built from bamboo and tarpaulin to create informal semi-outdoor spaces, shaded from the sun.
Completed earlier this year, a primary school extension by Donghua Chen Architects in Shenzhen reacts to the city’s recent condition of rapid over-development. ‘Chen used steel, aluminium and fabric to create lightweight sheds and canopies that ‘fill in the gaps’ across the site,’ writes Mir Jetha. ‘The jewel in the crown is the large “rooftop shed”, a steel space-frame perched on top of an existing building. Here, a series of trusses and columns form inverted triangles inspired by the structural language of Mies van der Rohe.’
Read more about the highly commended practice in a full profile: architectural-review.com/awards/ar-emerging/chen-donghua-architects-china
Donghua Chen presented his practice’s work to our judging panel at Arup in London. We also thank VMZinc and The New Raw for supporting the awards.
📷 Wu Siming / Deng Chonghua Architects
Highly commended in the 2024 AR Emerging awards, Donghua Chen has become captivated by the typology of the shed. In Guangdong, China, where his practice is based, sheds are used routinely and typically built from bamboo and tarpaulin to create informal semi-outdoor spaces, shaded from the sun.
Completed earlier this year, a primary school extension by Donghua Chen Architects in Shenzhen reacts to the city’s recent condition of rapid over-development. ‘Chen used steel, aluminium and fabric to create lightweight sheds and canopies that ‘fill in the gaps’ across the site,’ writes Mir Jetha. ‘The jewel in the crown is the large “rooftop shed”, a steel space-frame perched on top of an existing building. Here, a series of trusses and columns form inverted triangles inspired by the structural language of Mies van der Rohe.’
Read more about the highly commended practice in a full profile: architectural-review.com/awards/ar-emerging/chen-donghua-architects-china
Donghua Chen presented his practice’s work to our judging panel at Arup in London. We also thank VMZinc and The New Raw for supporting the awards.
📷 Wu Siming / Deng Chonghua Architects
