LYCS Architecture's Quzhou High-speed Railway New Town First School has started construction. The project is located on Changshan Road in Quzhou, with a total construction area of approximately 67,500 square meters. This comprehensive construction project includes Class 36 primary and 18 secondary schools.
With the advancement of educational reform, the teaching method has shifted from one-way teaching by teachers to autonomous learning by students. Under the trend of diversified education, the traditional classroom on campus, as a single learning space model, has yet to meet students' flexible and diverse needs for Learning space. How to create an open and free campus environment and providing opportunities for students to observe, explore, and exchange activities is the starting point of this project design.
Traditional campuses are composed of squares, courtyards, and roads, but these elements are distinct. This project introduces a new concept called "street" that connects different functional areas of the campus naturally and vividly. The campus space has transformed from a single to a composite space, creating a complete and diverse campus living system.
A winding main street on the central axis of the campus connects the entire campus. The two sides of the street move with different scenery, providing a green landscape public space, an interesting gable wall of the teaching building, and courtyard space. The multi-dimensional campus streets connect three main areas: education and teaching, art and humanities, and gathering activities. This allows students to observe, explore, and exchange ideas while walking through the streets and alleys.
The public space on one side of the street has been converted into a "cultural and sports activity center" on the campus. The architectural complex consists of four sizes, shapes, and interesting forms, scattered on the landscape slope. Children can freely shuttle through it and engage in socializing and activities. The landscape design of the cultural and sports activity buildings not only solves the problem of vertical height difference in the site but also carries a variety of cultural and sports activity functions.The natural undulating shape at the same time organically connects the teaching area with the playground, becoming a unique and vibrant playground for children.
The "Big Steps" area serves as a transition space that connects the sports field and the cultural and sports activity buildings Its main purpose is facilitating students' daily passage and hosting the flag-raising ceremony. The sloping landscape's embellishments add to the appeal of the "Big Steps" area, offering ideal locations for students to hold events like choir performances, book sharing, and exercise check-ins. From the ceremonial entrance of the campus located on the east side of the site, the arbitrary architectural facade maximizes the confidence and modern image of the school.
The teaching space on the other side of the street comprises two "E" shaped teaching clusters. The group features an intriguing end space, a cohesive courtyard area, and a "Pocket Park in the Air" with various themes. These elements combine to form an informal learning environment akin to an "exploring street" for children. The gable wall in the teaching building forms a "thick" end space, where different widths of straight running stairs and double running stairs are placed to connect the rest platform and buffer space, and an open terrace is formed on the top floor and an elevated entrance is formed on the bottom floor. The end space is given an easily recognizable image by comparing virtual and real, color and shape, thereby enriching the street interface.
The U-shaped semi-enclosed courtyard approach in the teaching building forms a relatively closed building facade to the outside. It creates a cohesive courtyard space experience facing the street internally. Due to the installation of multifunctional classrooms with different proportions on the first floor of the courtyard, various spatial forms such as two-story courtyards, sunken courtyards, and semi-sunken courtyards have been formed.
"Air Pocket Park" is another extension of the street in the teaching space. Different themes, shapes, and colors of informal Learning spaces are placed between the teaching buildings. Through the multi-level gray space formed by the floor dislocation and functional settings, students can freely pass through it and conduct visual observation to meet the needs of different classes for communication, discussion, publicity, performance, and practical activities.
The rhythmical "End Space — Corridor — Air Pocket Park" space in the teaching area provides children with "Ubiquitous" communication and learning opportunities. The U-shaped teaching building is enclosed on the side facing the street to block external noise. The "Pocket Park" and roof climbing frame on the building's facade create a meaningful urban interface with varied colors and shapes.
The change of cognition of "Learning" under the trend of diversified education emphasizes establishing a compound learning space on campus based on students' behavioral needs. The innovative design of the first school project in Quzhou High-speed Railway New City introduces the concept of "campus streets," extending and connecting multi-level activity spaces and informal teaching spaces, creating a world for students to meet and grow freely on campus.
