LYCS Architecture designed Quzhou Xinhua No.2 Primary School to integrate architecture and interior. The project was built according to the highest specifications of the latest "Standardized School for Compulsory Education in Zhejiang Province." The building has a construction area of about 37,182 square meters, which can house up to 48 classes simultaneously. With the design strategy of a "big city and a small courtyard," the design of Xinhua No.2 Primary School provides a reference for future experiential campuses. Although the pace of high-density urbanization is constantly evolving, this area, which belongs only to the students, will remain the same. From 7 to 12 years old, from children to teenagers, students will meet, learn, grow, and become butterflies worldwide.
The project is located in the rapidly urbanizing Quzhou Wisdom New City. The school is surrounded by the south, north and west residential areas. It is connected to the city's new cultural and educational area where Quzhou Jingcai High School and Quzhou No. 1 Middle School are located to the east. The urban ecology at the intersection of the plates is noisy and bustling with heavy traffic. The hustle and bustle of the city can make children feel helpless and insecure. How can we create a unique "haven" for students in the town and bring them a sense of belonging? Starting from the original idea of "guardianship," LYCS Architecture proposes the design strategy of "big city and small courtyard": using large-scale buildings to enclose a "big city" for children in the city and using small-scale houses. The combination of small-scale houses and corridors allows children to run and play and experience the fun-filled "small courtyard" in the campus.
Along Yingjiashan Road to the west, a modern style "big city" of about 100 meters long comes into view, with long horizontal red windows and green traffic space "floating" on the zebra patterned faÇade, revealing the spirit and childlike interest. The main entrance of the campus opens to Xianxia Road, welcoming children to school with an open attitude. As you enter the school, the main entrance is the axis of the "dynamic zone" to the north, where the weathered playground and sports fields are isolated from the noise of the road, and the administrative management creates a sports park that is shared with the community on a time-sharing basis; to the south is the "quiet zone" - the teaching area "big city", which is a teaching area. The "big city" has a total length of about 300 meters and is enclosed in a U-shape. The general classrooms are distributed in the south-facing main building. In contrast, the music and labor classrooms are distributed in the east-facing main building, and the horizontal corridor connects them, which is conducive to multi-functional coordination and interoperability.
The "small courtyard" rotates the flow grid by 30 degrees and interconnects with the U-shaped flow of the "big city," weaving a heterogeneous and dynamic courtyard flow within the linear corridor of the first and second floors. The corridor is both a traffic space and a public space, greatly enhancing the interest of regional traffic. Running through the space under the corridor on the first floor, the campus space passing by is constantly changing. The corridor bridge organically combines the building blocks and is also a shelter for children to play in case of bad weather. Instead of being confined to the next classroom, children can meet new friends from all over the world. The second-floor outdoor corridor continues the first-floor tour experience, allowing children to run around in the sunshine, further expanding the scope of students' activities and creating a vertical space interaction with the first floor, forming a "double first floor".
Complementing the rotating axis are the small boxes placed in the large courtyard. The small scale of the two-story building and the rooftop garden make the building very friendly to children, and it is a good place for them to relax between classes. Teaching and learning spaces such as a dance studio and a student reading room are located in the center. Small boxes and corridors divide the large courtyard into pocket parks of different sizes, where students meet between classes to play and relax in the natural landscape and gain energy. The corridor bridge and pocket park on the first floor, the outdoor corridor on the second floor, and the rooftop garden boxes on the third floor together form a three-dimensional landscape space in the campus. Children run on the promenade, meet under the bridge, and gather in the park, and the environment gives them a rich school experience that will continue to positively influence their behavior.
