Embark on the Vision of Utopia
Yandang Mountain is renowned for its breathtaking scenery and is celebrated as a “famous mountain by the sea, unparalleled worldwide.” Historically, it has been known as the “number one mountain in the southeast.” Dajing Town serves as the eastern gateway to Yandang Mountain. The founder of Jingshan Public School in Yueqing City, inspired by a deep connection to his hometown, returned to establish a school in Dajing Town at the foot of the stunning Yandang Mountains. His aim was to provide a better educational environment for local students.
During the research phase, the designer engaged in multiple discussions with the founder about their educational philosophy and the local culture. The founder reminisced about the old camphor tree on the campus of his childhood primary school—lush and thriving—where teachers and students gathered for conversations. This vivid image reminded the designer of Louis Kahn’s famous idea that “schools begin under a tree,” inspiring the concept of a low-density, naturally ecological utopian campus.
Translating the Cultural Context of Traditional Academies
Modern education values sharing and communication. Traditional Chinese academies, known for their structured and orderly layouts, emphasize the smooth flow and transformation of space, creating a series of connected communication areas. Influenced by the Eastern Zhejiang School, the School of Zongxue flourished in Yueqing. Renowned academies like Meixi Academy and Zonghui Academy have stood the test of time, attracting students from all walks of life.
In planning the campus space for Jingshan Public School, the design aims to honor the historical context of the Zhedong School, while transforming the typical high-density urban campus model into a low-density regional school that blends harmoniously with Dajing Town. Drawing inspiration from classic Chinese academies such as Yuelu Academy, the spatial sequence of these traditional layouts was adapted into the design.
Jingshan Public School’s spatial layout is organized along a north-south axis, centered around four courtyards. The grand main gate leads to a second gate across a garden, flanked by the learning center and art center, establishing a strong spatial order. Wind and rain corridors surround this “comprehensive campus complex.” The primary school teaching building and teachers’ studios occupy the next section; the ecological garden invites exploration for younger students, while the teacher’s studio, situated by a curved water feature, creates a dynamic contrast. The third area includes teaching buildings, canteens, and a school history exhibition for middle and high school students, forming an efficient learning and living environment. Finally, the dormitory buildings are arranged freely to provide students with a peaceful retreat. Complex corridors connect the spaces, and the courtyards overlap like a slowly unfolding garden scroll, where etiquette, order, and creative energy coexist harmoniously.
Crafting a Poetic Integration with the Land
The campus site at the mountain’s base offers a naturally vibrant setting but presents complex boundary challenges. The campus is fragmented by flood discharge channels, urban roads, and phased land development. After extensive field research, the designer envisioned using the land across the river as the campus’s “other courtyard”—similar to the communal gardens of traditional academies—connected by a bridge that facilitates both physical and psychological transitions. This bridge, reminiscent of the local corridor bridges, serves as a curved recreational space with multiple activity points.
The cross-river platform unites both riverbanks into a cohesive whole, providing a seamless spatial experience for users. It also takes advantage of the borrowed scenery concept by integrating the urban water system into the campus landscape. Thoughtful design ensures the platform offers a delightful walking experience, making students feel as if they are traversing a continuous campus, rather than disconnected points of learning and living.
After numerous iterations, the concept of the cross-river platform was realized, linking the two main campus plots. Surrounded by mountains and water, the design incorporates multiple landscape axes to frame and introduce scenic views, blending the two areas harmoniously into the natural environment.
Creating a Campus with Picturesque Landscapes
Roots symbolize memory, existence, and history.
The texture of small towns differs from that of cities. The design draws on the architectural styles and materials of local residences, incorporating two clusters of one- and two-story buildings within the campus. These echo the scale and feel of surrounding homes, preventing the school from appearing as an imposing, out-of-place structure. The simplified double-pitched roofs combined with layers of distant greenery create a harmonious skyline, seamlessly embedding the campus into the mountainous landscape. Each teaching and comprehensive building interlocks with varying spatial dynamics—distance, height, and flexibility—resembling an ink wash painting with subtle shades. This approach honors the site and perpetuates memory.
While exploring the local cultural context, the design drew inspiration from the archway group of Nange Ancient Village in Yueqing. This archway complex is a cultural landmark, showcasing local architectural craftsmanship and embodying virtues such as righteousness and reverence for culture. The main school gate’s architectural language echoes this archway, primarily constructed in copper. Its simple lines express the layered arches typical of wooden architecture, conveying strength and dignity and establishing Jingshan Public School’s image of “centering on knowledge and practice.”
The teaching buildings form courtyards, featuring culturally rich gray tile sloping roofs, simple whitewashed walls, warm wooden exteriors, and intricately carved clay bricks. These elements create a unique regional atmosphere that honors local memories and serves as a timeless expression of the area’s cultural heritage.
Stories of Trees and People
Louis Kahn’s assertion that schools originate under trees is a well-known design theory, resonating with the Chinese educational philosophy: “ten years to grow trees, a hundred years to educate people.”
The large trees become the focal points within each courtyard, telling unique stories through their presence. The first courtyard, the main entrance for ceremonies, is lined with elm trees that create a strong sense of arrival and symbolize good wishes for students’ growth. The second courtyard features multiple large trees forming a natural forest atmosphere with misty, uneven canopies—ideal for younger students to freely explore. The third courtyard, at the end of the sequence, is anchored by a towering tree that echoes the founder’s childhood memories, preserving the shade and calm for future generations to gather, laugh, and engage in open discussions beneath the trees.
Postscript
The utopian ideal of education is like a spark held by the founder, igniting the landscape campus of Jingshan Public School. Diverse industries bring different perspectives and imaginative ideas, like fireflies gathering to illuminate the path ahead for this new campus. Practical considerations, such as land planning, have reserved significant space for Phase II development on the west side of the main campus, creating opportunities for ongoing, gradual growth. This phased development reflects the evolution of early academies adapting over time. Education is not achieved overnight; as the physical space that supports it, the campus will quietly transform with time. While the overall campus design offers many benefits, its gradual development allows it to better respond to the passage of time.
This project represents a passionate design effort and a shared journey of understanding. When the emotions invested in design are truly felt and responded to, the envisioned spaces and details come to life in an ideal form. This intersection of ideals and emotions transforms the physical space from cold walls into a place full of warmth. Though empty on paper, once realized, it holds countless stories and will inspire many more for future generations.
Project Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Exploded Diagram
△ Structural Logic Diagram
△ Campus Elevation View
△ Campus Profile Map
Project Information
Project Name: Jingshan Public School in Yueqing City
Client: Yueqing Jingshan Education Investment Co., Ltd
Project Location: Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province
Project Type: K12 School
Design Firm: Zhejiang University Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd
Lead Architect: Fan Xuzhuang
Architectural Design Team: Fan Xuzhuang, Chen Yu, Shi Minghua, Lincoln, Xu Sun, Liu Jia, Xu Gaoting, Qiu Jiajun
Interior Design: Fan Xuzhuang, Shi Minghua, Lincoln, Liu Jia, Xu Gaoting
Landscape Design: Fan Xuzhuang, Lincoln, Yao Haojun
Curtain Wall Design: Hangfei
Acoustic Design: Zhang Sanming, Zhou Fei
Lighting Design: Song Luoying
Outdoor Pipeline Design: Chen Fei, Chen Ji
Intelligent Design: Yang Guozhong, Lin Hua, Ye Agile, Yuan Xiaonan
Logo Design: Hangzhou Meigao Brand Design Co., Ltd
Construction Drawing Design: Zhejiang Xinyu Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Construction Contractor: Zhejiang Jincheng Construction Group Co., Ltd
Building Area: 100,499 square meters
Materials: Inorganic decorative mortar, clay bricks, ceramic tiles, copper plates
Design Period: January 2018 to June 2019
Completion Date: December 2020
Photography: Octopus Sees Architecture
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