Public health service facility of the accumulated grain warehouse plot in Jiading District Shanghai

The Jigucang public health service facility is a small new building by Mur Mur Lab. One side adjoins the Lianqi River in Jiading; originally a pump house, it had been abandoned for years. The completed building reintroduces urban public activity to the waterside while becoming a new local community center. The site has two memorable qualities: excellent landscape beside the river, embedded in the riparian green belt; and a tiny square between the abandoned pump house and an existing public toilet, once iron-gated and used for storage. The initial design scope did not include the pump house and square, but the team persuaded the owner to treat them as a whole. Even as a public toilet, with proper design it can become a lively community space. Public toilet plus is the simple new model proposed for this site, guaranteeing toilet use while sharing public space; a slim concrete volume opens onto the river with a small terrace.