Studio Vapore designed the Middle School Counseling Space at the Western Academy of Beijing as a quiet, supportive environment embedded within the daily life of the school. The project rethinks counseling not as a single room, but as a sequence of spaces offering different levels of privacy and comfort.

A small reception area provides a welcoming point of entry, leading to private counseling rooms for confidential conversations. Alongside these, a dedicated “Safe Space” allows students to step away and decompress when feeling overwhelmed. At the edge of the suite, a sensory retreat — visually filtered from the school and oriented toward greenery — offers a calm, informal place for students to pause without the structure of an appointment.

The material and colour palette draws from a forest atmosphere, evoking the feeling of a quiet walk in nature. In response to low ceilings and limited natural light, illuminated wall elements are integrated throughout — simulating soft daylight or shifting into RGB tones to support sensory engagement.

Together, these spaces create a layered environment that supports both emotional care and student autonomy.

Design: Studio Vapore
Design Team: Erica Borsa, Yumi Zhang, Hongyu Yu, Maud Kuras
Acoustic Design: Delhom Acoustics
Photography: Vincent Wu