Shanghai DTD Academy is an international high school located in the Qibao area of Minhang District, where Hongqiao Airport is only two kilometers away. The newly built Teaching and Learning Complex has a total floor area of 7,000 square meters, mainly accommodating classrooms, science laboratories, art studios, and various amenities of the school.

Situated in a compact site, the new building needs to follow strict setback regulations from the surrounding neighbors, which results in a wedge-shaped zoning envelope, narrow floor plate in the west half and deep in the east half. Thus the building combines two common teaching building types - west half for a single-loaded corridor type, and the east half for a double-loaded one - with the atrium and common space merging two types in the middle.

The overall facade design is mostly understated. The west half of the massing is wedged into the long and narrow site, forming an open courtyard with the adjacent existing building and preserved trees. The east facade which faces the campus entrance is more active, engaging the urban street through several folding walls,  and guiding the pedestrian flow to the lobby entrance.

A continuous indoor atria connect all the floors vertically, stretching from the street level lobby to the rooftop terrace. The atria not only contain public staircases, but also create common spaces for each floor. The design integrates ordinary interior elements such as benches, planter boxes, and balustrades into a somewhat unified and warm setting that encourages interactions and informal encounters. 

The atrium stair finally reaches the roof terrace, where students can overlook the campus to the south and Hongqiao Airport to the north. The large school logo on the terrace floor, parallel with the flight path, seems to greet every airplane that is about to land. The roof terrace isn’t big, but it provides a place for students to think big, about their sky, journeys and future destinations.