Topos Design completed the French Family Learning Center at PCC with a minimalist approach in Shanghai, China.

Founded in 2015, Petit Chou Chou is the first French parent-child culture brand in mainland China, focusing on the guidance and teaching of the French language and French culture to children. The site is located on the third floor with a street facade of nearly 30 meters and a light surface. Due to the shallow depth of the original building, the 9 independent rooms connected by one liner corridor have a large area of light, but the resulting 50 meters of linear flow also became a difficulty.

The design team put “comfort first” and wastefully expanded the foyer into a shared space for reception, negotiation, display, and waiting. The foyer is a forest shelter, with three curved walls that mimic the form of tree branches extending to the ceiling, and wood providing a warm sense of the color. The interior of the classroom continues the use of curved walls, with two functional walls connected to the ceiling, forming a hug-like enclosure in the section.

At the end of the corridor is a little surprise left for the children. Almost every child dreams of having a secret base in a big tree – a tree house. Passing through the classrooms, the base is reached to fully experience the fun of exploration. The use of mirrored ceiling visually extends the height of the floor.

The design team designed a multi-purpose theater with separate entrances and exits for the future of PCC. At the end of the theater is an open and transparent glass wall, providing the best natural stage background. Both sides of the theater are concealed storage cabinets. Meanwhile, two sets of folding doors can be opened and closed in the middle to split the large space and meet the needs of two small theaters.

Design: Topos Design
Photography: Zhu Runzi