GARDEN SCHOOL BEIJING NO.4 HIGH SCHOOL FANGSHAN CAMPUS BEIJING, CHINA / 2010 - 2014 OPEN ARCHITECTURE
A school inaugurated in September 2014, sets a good example on how architecture is changing the ways of teaching and learning in Chinese education system. Situated in the center of a new satellite town of Beijing, this very important public school with an enlightened administration and advanced educational philosophy is vital to the vast newly urbanized surrounding area. Created in between of farms on the roof top and gardens down below on multiple grounds, with abundant social spaces everywhere, the school forms a freshly new learning environment embraced by nature and instilled with a free spirit for exploration and social interactions. In the contemporary Chinese context, arguably the most pertinent issue and challenge is that of the relationship among individual, society and nature. Education bears great responsibilities. It is to these issues that the new school aspires to be both a touchstone and a response. Since its inauguration, numerous educators, school principals, bureaucrats and design professionals have visited the school. The building itself became a textbook demonstrating that teaching and learning can happen anywhere on the campus. Indoor spaces can be used as playground, and gardens are often transformed into outdoor classrooms. The school’s physical environment with its open and free spirit inpires its users to inhabit the space in all kinds of creative ways. Changes happen among the students’ parents as well. They become members of the school’s library and spend their weekends reading books with their children. Now this school has become a model in the country because of its teaching philosophy and learning environment. The campus and its buildings have significantly increased the school’s popularity in recruitment for both faculties and students. In a larger context, the school has not only elevated the life of the studens and their families, it also greatly enhanced the real estate value in this new town.
DESIGN CONCEPT
Public Space Roof Farming Dormitory
Teaching Space
Garden School
Teaching Space Dormitory
Canteen
Service Rooms
Garden
Auditorium
Swimming Pool
Gymnasium
Large Public Spaces
The intention of creating more open spaces filled with nature, combined with
is a thin rhizome shaped super slab that contains the more repetitive programs
the site limitations, inspired a vertical strategy of separating the programs into
of classrooms, labs and dormitories. The roof-top of the upper building is made
above and below, and inserting gardens in-between. The lower part of the
into an urban farm, with 36 plots for the 36-classes of students.
building contains large and non-repetitive public functions, canteen, auditorium, gymnasium and swimming pool which push the ground up from below into various
The two types of educational spaces together with the gardens in between create
mound shapes that touch the belly of the upper building; their roofs in the form
city-like exciting spatial experiences, encouraging explorations and awaiting
of landscaped gardens become the undulating new ‘ground’. The upper building
reinventions by each individual.
SITE PLAN
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4
5
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1. Classrooms 2. Laboratories 3. Administration 4. Dormitory / Swimming Pool 5. Bicycle Parking 6. Theater Garden / Auditorium 7. Lotus Pond 8. Poetry Garden / Gymnasium 9. Bamboo Garden 10.Canteen 11.Sports Field
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10 2
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SUSTAINABILITY The project is the first high school in the country to achieve Chinese Three-star Green Building Rating (a standard that exceeds LEED Gold). Both passive and active strategies are adopted to reduce the carbon footprint of the building. Simple, natural, and durable materials are used throughout.
Triangular Window Frame Shading at West Facade Rainwater Retention Basin Solar Heating Elevated Building for Improved Micro-Climate
ROOF FARMING The roof-top of the building is designed to be an urban farm, with 36 plots for the 36-classes of students. The school has since built farming activity into their curriculum. It is an amazing experience for the students to see how food grows out of nature, from seeds into wheat, and then getting processed and go down to the kitchen, and become their bread. Experiencing the whole natural cycle is the best education for students.
Sunken Sports Field Geothermal Ground Source Heat Pump
Sunshade Window Frame at Southfacing Classrooms Vented Skylights Incorporated into Benches Planted Roof Permeable Paving Rainwater Retention Basin
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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MEZZANINE FLOOR PLAN
1. Gymnasium 2. Rock Climbing 3. Music Classroon 4. Dance Classroom 5. Teacher’s Office 6. Faculty Cafeteria 7. Lobby 8. Lecture Hall 9. Auditorium 10.Projection Room 11.Restroom 12.Convenience Store 13.Storage Room 14.Mechanical Room 15.Activity Space 16.Duty Room 17.Above the Bamboo Garden 18.Pond 19.Teacher’s Lounge 20.VIP Room 21.Guard’s Room
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1. Gymnasium 2. Rock Climbing 3. Physical Exam Room 4. Quarantine Room 5. Workshop 6. Student’s Canteen 7. Kitchen 8. Broadcast Room 9. Auditorium 10.Backstage 11.Restroom 12.Convenience Store 13.Storage Room 14.Mechanical Room 15.Guard’s Room 16.Bamboo Garden 17.Basketball Court 18. Bicycle Parking
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
EAST ELEVATION
16 21 2
20 21 20 20 22
19 19 18
11 10
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17
13
14
SECTION A-A
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4
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3 1 1 1
4 5
15 13
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1.Classroom 2.Laboratory 3.Preparation Room 4.Teacher’s Office 5.Admin Office 6.Meeting Room 7.Lecture Hall 8. Activity Space 9. Island 10.Exhibition Space 11.Restroom 12.Storage Room 13.Mechanical Room 14.Lounge Area
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1 1 1 1
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6 13
12 4 12
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SECTION B-B
1.Classroom 2.Laboratory 3.Library 4.Corridor 5.Music Classroom 6.Workshop 7.Gymnasium 8.Poetry Garden
9.Bamboo Garden 10.Student’s Canteen 11.Faculty Cafeteria 12.Storage Room 13.Mechanical Room 14.Car Parking 15.Pond
16.Roof Farm 17.Kitchen 18.Courtyard 19.Meeting Room 20.Indoor Activity Space 21.Outdoor Activity Space 22.Sports Field
SUNKEN SPORTS FIELD The original site was lower than the surrounding area. Instead of leveling the whole site, the design allowed the sports field to be set at the lower elevation. It becomes a natural catch basin for rain water. Collected rain water is used for irrigation of the landscape. Hundreds of wells for Geothermal Ground Source Heat Pumps are hidden underneath the sports field. They provide cooling and heating for the large public spaces in the school.
BAMBOO GARDEN The sunken bamboo garden is almost all green throughout the four seasons. It not only brings a trace of tranditional Chinese scholarly gardens into the campus, but also provides ample natural light to the semi-underground public spaces. With three large skylights, it even brings light down to the basement parking.
DANCE ROOM A hidden jem in the school, the dance room with its floor to ceiling glass, brings the entire garden view into the room. A wall-sized mirror on the other side reflects the picturesque scenery of dancers in the garden.
BICYCLE PARKING Below the green mound at the edge of the sports field, is an unexpectedly poetic bicycle parking space. The sunlight pour in from the roof openings shines on bunches of bamboo. The light, shadow and the exposed concrete work together to form a simple Zen space.
THE LILLY POND A sheet of water gushing out of a column, brings dynamic energy to the otherwise quiet lilly pond. The love for water and all its living things, plants and gold fish, comes natural for kids.
LECTURE HALL OVER THE POND The lecture theater floating over the pond has a remarkable shape seen from outside. Located at the north end of the school building, it is a giant cantilevered structure that contains an interior space rising step by step. A series of square windows irregularly arranged on the wall brings joy and peace into the space.
GYMNASIUM UNDER POETRY GARDEN The grandstand constructed by plastic wood rises, intertwines and folds, transforms into rows of benches in poetic garden. Vented skylights for the gymnasium underneath are incorporated into these benches.
AUDITORIUM UNDER THEATER GARDEN A big lawn between two teaching branches, surrounded by wooden benches is the theater garden. A multi-functional auditorium with 800 seats is located underneath. Perforated bamboo plywood is used as the main material in the interior space. It makes the auditorium warm and friendly, and provides excellent acoustic performance.
LOBBY Lobby is the transport hub in this complex megaform. Downwards it connects the large public spaces on the ground floor; upwards it leads to the teaching branches which are all connected with each other; to the right is the multi-functional auditorium which can be opened to the public from another independent entry; in the lobby, there’s an elevator that can the reach the library on top floor as well.
CANTEEN Seeing from outside, the rooftop of canteen is a green mound beside the bamboo garden; from inside, the exposed concrete shell has clearly shown its sophisticated geometric form with powerful visual language. A floating island in Avartar world is the teachers’ cafeteria, on which landed a lunar module as the special dining room.
STAIRS As an important part of daily experience on the campus, climbing stairs can be interesting as well. In this school, almost every stair is different, creating joy and surprises with their unique form, spaces and light.
LIBRARY In the library, various types of reading spaces are formed by different composition of the customized furniture. A supper long reading table placed along the north-facing windows provides gentle diffuse skylight.
ACTIVITY ISLANDS IN THE CORRIDOR The main spine connecting all the branches of the building is both the circulation and the public space, including specially designed “activity islands� for students to have small group discussion, play piano or play ping-pong.
INDOOR ACTIVITY SPACES There are plenty of indoor activity spaces in the school. Every corner can be a playground for students: rock climbing wall, stone garden in the corridor and lounge area under the staircase are their favorite places to go during breaks.
POETICS OF SPACE
POETICS OF SPACE