Program: Kindergarten
Location: Shenzhen, China
Period: 2016
The site of the kindergarten is located in a typical community composed of dense high-rises. The size of the land is small, which at the same time creates restrictions for the living units due to the lack of direct sunlight.
The scheme takes the strategies attending to define kindergarten as “stage”. Through shaping the volume into stacking steps, the open space is therefore extended from ground to rooftop, as a vertical garden. The rooftop terraces are shared by classes and are exposed with sun and nature. Following the overall volume the space underneath forms a valley-like atrium, which is compact with service and circulations.
The intension of the stage is to maximize the interactions of children and environment. The connections between children and outer-world are built up both physically and psychologically. In such way they gradually understand who they are and how to position themselves in an unfamiliar world.
