Imagine a vibrant valley at the heart of the school, where children can roll down gentle slopes and explore hidden caves. Surrounding this lively space, the teaching buildings rise like two continuous mountains, breaking away from the typical uniform campus architecture. This design places outdoor areas—large trees and green spaces—at the core of educational interaction, redefining the future of learning environments.
Project Reflection
As Shenzhen experiences rapid growth, urban land and development space have become increasingly scarce. The city faces significant challenges in providing enough primary and secondary school, as well as kindergarten places. How can we design high-density, high-capacity campuses that maximize land use while supporting population growth and advancing quality education? This project explores how spatial design can drive the evolution of modern education.
Project Background
Located on Qingquan Street in Longhua District, the site occupies an irregular trapezoidal plot bordered by Linqing Long Road to the north, Yongchun Road to the south, Longhua Avenue to the east, and Heping Road to the west, ensuring convenient vehicle access. Covering 14,589.7 m², the terrain features a maximum elevation difference of 7.1 meters, rising from southeast to northwest. The site can be divided into three plateaus at approximately 66.80 m, 65.80 m, and 61.10 m elevations from northeast to southwest.
Abundant educational resources surround the area, including Qingquan Foreign Language Primary School to the west and Shengshi Jiangnan Kindergarten to the south. The site is also adjacent to Guanlan River and the Longhua Cultural and Sports Center. Accessibility is enhanced by proximity to Shenzhen Metro Line 4 and the Qinglong Tram Station, making public transportation highly convenient.
Green Valley Garden: The Sound of Books
Historically, learning often took place outdoors under trees—where scholars studied, discussed, and wrote poetry amidst nature. The ancient Chinese classics, such as Confucius’ “Teaching under the Great Tree of Rites” and the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s “Lanting Elegance Collection,” evoke timeless images of education intertwined with the natural world. Traditional study scenes involved bamboo shadows dancing on desks and the gentle sound of spring water near ink pools.
However, modern urban development often overlooks these spiritual and aesthetic connections to nature, focusing instead on maximizing campus functions amid land scarcity and rapid population growth. This project aims to break from conventional campus architecture by creating a diverse “Green Valley Campus” that harmoniously blends natural ecology, scientific design, and progressive educational concepts.
Taking advantage of the site’s elevation changes, two six-story teaching buildings are positioned along the edges of the plot, addressing the required building volume while maintaining spatial openness. The ground floors are elevated to offer expansive views and enrich the campus experience. Between the two buildings, an aerial library connects teaching spaces on both sides.
By setting back parts of the buildings and seamlessly linking rooftop gardens with playgrounds, a “valley garden” emerges between the north and south structures, shaped by the terrain’s elevation differences. This lush, playful slope invites children to explore freely. Thoughtfully designed features such as corridors, platforms, cabins, and exploration caves provide creative spaces for children’s play and discovery within the valley.
To seamlessly connect the east and west campuses, an elevated corridor at the school entrance links the primary and junior high school sections. A suspended image entrance creates a shared grey space with the community, doubling as a waiting area for parents during pickup and drop-off times.
The sports field is raised to expand children’s play areas, while large facilities such as the cafeteria, small theater, swimming pool, and multipurpose sports rooms are housed beneath the elevated field. A covered outdoor court ensures sports activities can continue during windy or rainy weather.
A green rooftop corridor connects the rooftop garden with the central courtyard, weaving an ecological “carpet” throughout the campus. Elevated walkways, slopes, steps, balconies, roofs, platforms, and eaves all become dynamic spaces where children can learn and play.
Looking ahead, Yijing envisions the campus as a sequence of interconnected spaces emphasizing image, art, communication, academia, and sports. By fostering environments themed around Nature (nature and science), Art (art and culture), Sports (sports and health), and Community (communication), the campus transcends traditional teaching to nurture children’s diverse interests and hobbies.
Here, the sound of children’s laughter and the rustle of books fill the air within the “Green Valley” park, creating a joyful, nature-integrated, and educational environment that grows alongside its students.
Technical Drawings
Project Information
Project Name: Shenzhen Longhua Qingquan Foreign Language School (Junior High Division) Bid Winning Proposal
Design Firm: Yijing Architectural Design
Location: Intersection of Yongchun Road and Huakang Road, Qingquan Street, Longhua District, Shenzhen
Land Area: 14,589.7 m²
Building Area: 29,266 m²
Floor Area Ratio: 1.7
Expected Completion: 2023
Lead Architect: He Mincong
Design Team: Xiao Lijun, Wei Yi, Xie Yi, Chen Riming, He Zemin, Zhou Lixin, Lv Boyang, Chen Yunan
Author: Ye Xinhe
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up