Preface
In 2019, the first ocean-themed kindergarten in the “Dafu by the Sea” campus series was established. This year, the story continues as the second ocean-themed kindergarten opens its doors in this charming seaside town.
Inspired by the ocean, our design integrates sincere and simple ideas, creating comfortable spaces that nurture the small moments in children’s growth.
The first campus in the “Dafu by the Sea” series: Sanmen Dafu Bilingual Kindergarten
△ City bird’s-eye view
Dafu by the Sea
In 2017, the Sixu design team was invited to design a series of kindergartens in Sanmen, Taizhou. Operated by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Group and backed by Taizhou Social Development Group, these kindergartens are located in a picturesque and peaceful seaside town. Drawing inspiration from ocean elements, we defined a unifying theme for these campuses — “Dafu by the Sea” — creating a continuous series of ocean-themed learning environments. Jiantiao Dafu Bilingual Kindergarten, the second in this series, is situated in Jiantiao Town, Sanmen County.
△ Location analysis map
Known as the “land of fish and rice” and the “mountain city of the sea,” Jiantiao is surrounded by gentle mountains and hills to the west, with vast, flat coastal plains to the east. This unique seaside town is embraced by nature’s care. Each morning, a faint light breaks the sky, shrouded in a delicate morning mist that wraps the mountains and sea. The clouds and haze mingle, creating a poetic and beautiful atmosphere.
The second campus in the “Dafu by the Sea” series: Sanmen Jiantiao Dafu Bilingual Kindergarten
Looking Out to Sea from the Ship’s Deck
The main design challenge was how to create an efficient spatial layout within a limited, roughly rectangular 9,600 square meter site. The kindergarten needed to accommodate 15 classrooms along with ample shared activity spaces. Without making significant changes to the original terrain, the design concept uses a stepped platform that gently recedes from top to bottom, forming a soft, enveloping central courtyard.
This sustainable green space connects the entire kindergarten with nature, improving natural lighting and providing children with a natural space to run and play.
△ Evolution of architectural scheme blocks
The stepped building, covering 7,800 square meters, meets functional needs while embracing the local culture. Inspired by the ocean’s vibrant jumping waves and the deck as a symbol of human civilization, the design presents the school as a “deck on land”—a “deck overlooking the sea.”
Just like a solid ship’s deck provides safety and reassurance during a voyage, this “sailing city deck” offers children a secure platform for their journey of exploration and growth.
△ Design concept development
△ The park shaped as a “sailing city deck”
△ Garden view from surrounding farmland
Entering the Cabin from the Garden
To ensure children’s safety, the kindergarten features a traffic flow system that separates pedestrians from vehicles and divides dynamic and static zones. The pedestrian entrance serves as a spacious gathering spot where children say goodbye to their parents and enter the park.
They are greeted by an elliptical central green courtyard—the heart of the entire campus—designed to foster gathering and community.
First floor circulation analysis
△ Separation of pedestrian and vehicle access at the main entrance
△ Direct access to central courtyard from entrance
△ Central green courtyard space
The courtyard’s flowing paths are seamlessly outlined by grass and wooden platforms. Each floor features an interactive circular path linking the courtyard to indoor spaces. This enclosed yet comfortable environment encourages children to develop spatial awareness, a sense of direction, and group connection while stimulating imaginative thinking.
The circular path guides children naturally into the garden’s lobby.
△ Interactive tour experience path
△ Play and learning spaces
Curved Waves and Bright Runways
The lobby is designed as an abstracted cabin with safe, transparent spaces filled with soft, natural light. It serves as a welcoming area for teachers, students, and parents, and a lively stage for children to interact around the pillars.
Curved light strips along the ceiling echo the ground’s gentle curves, expanding the sense of space and creating a comforting enclosure. Circular ceiling lights and wall openings resemble sea bubbles—a playful, meaningful nod to marine culture.
△ Cabin-shaped garden hall
The lobby is bright and softly contoured
△ Children enjoying interactive games around pillars
Another key space is the multifunctional activity and reading room. The design incorporates wave-like curves to soften traditional sharp corners, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere with natural wood materials. Bookshelves are arranged irregularly at child-friendly heights, perfectly supporting a space that fosters learning and play.
△ Multifunctional activity and reading room
△ A flexible space that encourages joyful learning and growth
The interior design stays true to the ocean theme with a simple yet detail-focused spatial approach. The palette combines calm whites with natural wood tones, authentically reflecting the beauty of the natural environment. Floors, walls, and soft furnishings feature a shallow sea blue, fostering a sense of imagination. On sunny days, sunlight and sea breezes cast playful light and shadow patterns, creating a bright, clean, and inspiring atmosphere.
△ Simple and bright interior
△ A courtyard in the first-floor corridor welcomes natural light from above
Every classroom and space maximizes natural light. The first-floor corridor includes a courtyard that blurs the line between indoors and outdoors, enhancing transparency. The atrium on the second and third floors features large side French windows, projecting changing light patterns that energize the space. Fun, small play areas embedded in the walls invite children to explore and enjoy this bright, pure environment inspired by abstract seawater forms.
△ The atrium on the second and third floors spans multiple levels
Children freely running and playing in this bright, pure world
Moving Through Different Decks
The building wraps around the central courtyard with a multi-tiered retreat platform, creating layered activity spaces. Outdoor stairs positioned in various directions connect these platforms, integrating circulation and play. Visual and physical transparency between levels enhances the sense of openness, forming a three-dimensional outdoor play area.
These spaces include open areas for running and jumping, as well as winding paths that invite exploration.
Analysis of vertical circulation on layered platforms
△ Spacious platform on the second floor
△ Central courtyard on the first floor
Wide corridors and platforms enrich the activity opportunities. Public functions are staggered to create an engaging circulation route. Openings on each floor allow cool sea breezes to flow through the building, and skylights enhance natural ventilation and lighting, creating a comfortable microclimate throughout the kindergarten.
View of the courtyard from the second-floor corridor
△ Staircase space connecting the second and third floors
Defining a Courtyard with a Whale
On the western side of the park lies a large outdoor area dedicated to exploration and sports. The design uses a whale motif to define this space, blending natural grassland with synthetic flooring. Children can run freely and discover ocean-themed features such as sand pits, caves, and blue running tracks, reflecting the lifestyle of a seaside town.
Engaging sports facilities encourage climbing, sliding, and dancing with the wind, enhancing playful physical activity.
Evolution and application of marine “whale” elements
View of the building from the western outdoor field
On clear and sunny days, children play joyfully on the “deck.” The boundaries of the building dissolve, and they feel connected to their land, enjoying the gentle sea breeze and the fresh breath of the ocean.
Embracing Children with Soft Lines
The kindergarten’s soft, enveloping building design complements the “urban deck” concept. The multi-layered building encloses the park, creating a calm internal environment free from external noise. The white plaster exterior walls are simple, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient, brightening the overall space. Dark gray horizontal lines provide a striking contrast, while touches of bright colors inject vitality into the garden.
△ Second-floor deck platform space
△ Stepped-back building facade
The uniform window arrangement creates a transparent and engaging indoor-outdoor connection, maximizing sunlight inside. The layered architecture effectively divides the kindergarten’s functions, featuring a square at the north entrance, outdoor areas in the southwest, naturally formed entrance green spaces, aerial activity zones, and rooftop platforms.
This allows children to move safely and freely, as if gazing at new scenery from a ship’s deck at any moment.
△ Building facade
Creating a Kindergarten Full of Memories
A kindergarten is more than a teaching space — it’s a transitional place where children leave their homes and step into the wider world. It holds the precious, carefree memories of childhood.
We use artistic abstraction to capture the natural memories children form here, reflecting them in every space and detail throughout the campus.
Through natural associations, we inspire children’s spatial thinking. This kindergarten, as a “deck” for their lifelong journey, is dedicated to nurturing their imagination and creativity.
Children happily running and playing in the kindergarten
Sanmen Dafu Jiantiao Bilingual Kindergarten is the second campus in the “Dafu by the Sea” series by Sixu. It represents a practical exploration of using thematic concepts to create integrated kindergarten designs.
We emphasize blending local culture and regional characteristics into both the interior and exterior, forming a seamless garden through one-stop specialized design.
Our broader vision is to enhance the impact of campus buildings via integrated design, gradually transforming the educational landscape of the city from individual points to a connected network.
Children happily running and playing in the kindergarten
We continue to dedicate ourselves to marking the little moments of children’s growth through thoughtful design and comfortable spaces.
Design Drawings
△ Site plan
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Third floor plan
△ Fourth floor plan
△ Roof plan
△ South elevation
△ North elevation
△ East elevation
△ West elevation
△ Section diagram
△ Section diagram
Project Information
Project Name: Dafu Jiantiao Bilingual Kindergarten
Location: Sanmen, Taizhou
Owner: Taizhou Shefa Education Investment Co., Ltd
Design Team: Shanghai Sixu Architectural Planning and Design Co., Ltd. (Integrated Architecture, Landscape, and Interior Design)
Lead Designer: Wang Tao
Design Team Members: Dai Qinghui, Huang Cai, Gao Yan, Gao Chang, Lu Qin, Gong Yuhua, Si Di, Chen Jing, Tu Xiaqing, Wang Zhen, Li Jingjie, Zhang Liang, Chen Jie, Wang Liyin, Zhang Zhongying
Collaborators: Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd. (Construction Drawings), Shanghai Jingdian Planning and Architectural Design Co., Ltd. (Landscape and Interior Construction Drawings)
Site Area: 9,600 square meters
Building Area: 7,800 square meters
Completion: 2020
Photography: Wu Qingshan
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up