SHE Block—Breastfeeding Centres for "Mothers on the Move"—is a pioneering CSR initiative by Aangan Collaborative LLP for the Surat Municipal Corporation, aimed at promoting inclusive, dignified, and accessible urban spaces.

The site is located on the edge of a residential development surrounded by a rural landscape, facing both a busy road and a private lane. The client—a family of four consisting of a couple and their two young children—desired a generous, flexible home that could accommodate changes in their lifestyle as their children grow.

Work and learning environments have undergone profound transformations in recent decades. In offices, cubicles and compartmentalized rooms have given way to open, collaborative layouts. In schools and universities, traditional classrooms with rigid layouts, blackboards, and rows of desks have been replaced by more dynamic, flexible, and interactive spaces. In both contexts, the goal was to encourage integration, creativity, and constant exchange. But this openness has also introduced new challenges: increased distractions, sensory overload, and the difficulty of finding moments of focus or introspection. The more we remove barriers in favor of fluidity and collaboration, the more essential it becomes to provide moments of quiet, intimacy, and sensory balance for those who need to self-regulate. The challenge is both spatial and psychological, raising a fundamental question for architecture: how can we support connection and withdrawal, activity and silence, at the same time?

Our project is located in Fengcheng Town, Fengxian District, approximately 30 kilometers from downtown Shanghai. The surroundings consist of villages, vast farmlands, and extensive transportation networks, creating a typical Chinese "urban fringe landscape." The site occupies 120,000 square meters, with total floor area of approximately 200,000 square meters. The site, originally industrial land, has been transformed under the urban renewal agenda into a mixed-use area for social welfare, medical, and cultural facilities. This transformation reflects government's support and policy responses to our vision of an open, diversified community. Our discussions then shifted to making the community more attractive, which creates a central hub of this "urban fringe landscape", not only for future residents but also for their neighborhood. The idea of turning a retirement community into a "regional vitality center" excited us.