Honoring History with a Vision for the Future
Established in 1949, the Danan Street Kindergarten is a renowned brand with a rich legacy.
Reflecting on its past, present, and future invites deep contemplation.
When given the opportunity to enhance the Da Nan Street area, DIKA focused on creating a joyful atmosphere for children, aiming to provide a welcoming public space for their first life experiences.
On the Edge of Ecology — Adding a Touch of Poetry
Is it ecology, science, or art? We envision the kindergarten not just as a building, but as a nurturing space to be read, heard, and felt. Growing alongside children, we accompany them into their first public space — the Flower Beach Headquarters of Danan Street Kindergarten.
Located on the banks of the Jialing River in Hechuan District, Chongqing, Huatan International New City offers stunning cliff views surrounded by mountains and water. The area is densely populated with numerous communities, boasting beautiful scenery.
The interplay of location, environment, function, and culture demands a higher standard for supporting campus education. Reflecting the sincere, courageous, and adventurous spirit of Chongqing’s people, the Huatan headquarters of Danan Street Kindergarten spans 15,560 square meters.
DIKA sought to integrate the educational ideals of Danan Street with a subtle yet striking ecological perspective, allowing the building to harmoniously blend with every blade of grass and tree.
▲ Project Concept Overview
Teaching Philosophy: From Small Details to Greater Understanding
Exploring nature and embracing ecology — when the city’s rivers and mountains meet the innocence of childhood, themes of life, existence, and ecology converge. This inspired the concept of a “forest-style kindergarten” where life exists in harmony.
Color influences the soul directly, while painting is music expressed through color, form, and lines. This “synesthesia” was famously achieved by Kandinsky, the founder of abstract art, who used circles, abstract symbols, vibrant colors, space, and motion to represent the universe and galaxies.
This concept inspired DIKA’s approach to the “flowers blooming towards the sun” theme for Danan Street Kindergarten. Combining DIKA’s design philosophy of “future, nature, and art,” an ideal paradise for children emerges, where every detail is thoughtfully crafted.
The design, inspired by cosmic celestial bodies and the idea of “flowers blooming towards the sun,” arranges functional blocks like scattered flowers and planets in an artistic, proportional layout across the site.
The interwoven connections and organic integration allow the buildings to express rhythm and melody, efficiently linking diverse functional areas. This creates a harmonious balance between practicality and aesthetics.
The blend of China and the world, modern and future educational goals, transforms into a visual and auditory system — a space that nurtures children’s inner emotions, inviting them to absorb sunshine, scientific knowledge, and artistic spirit while expanding their horizons.
Forest-Style Kindergarten: A Synesthetic Experience of Growth and Art
From the outset, DIKA pondered what design would best suit this site. Drawing inspiration from nature, cosmology, and educational philosophy, the teaching concept is divided into three distinct entities — from human genetic cells to outer space and cosmic dreams — encouraging children to immerse themselves and discover details through experiential learning.
▲ Main Building Model
The “big circle” and “small circle” within the main building represent the new functions of the main teaching area and childcare, symbolizing an exploration of the universe and stars — fulfilling children’s “space dreams.”
The surrounding white space evokes the feeling of a spacecraft, offering activity and play areas that create a flexible, lively, and multidimensional learning environment.
▲ Architectural Facade Rendering
As the main campus for Dayu Kindergarten, Hechuan Hand in Hand Garden, and part of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle alliance, the Xingzhi Life Practice Center at Huatan Headquarters is designed to be a lively, flexible base that sparks children’s curiosity, imagination, and adventurous spirit.
The design resembles a blooming flower, with 11 petals radiating outward and roots extending further, leading to the teaching areas.
Simultaneously, it evokes a spacecraft ready to launch at any moment, symbolizing the journey of children’s dreams to explore the universe. The petals or 11 glass boxes extended by the spacecraft each represent human genetic cells — the origins of life.
These glass cell installations are vibrant works of art, surrounded by colorful “cells.” Through artistic synesthesia, they inspire children’s curiosity and desire to explore.
Sponge City: The Campus Breathes
Aligned with Chongqing’s 14th Five-Year Plan to minimize urban development’s ecological impact, the Huatan headquarters of Danan Street Kindergarten brings the concept of a “sponge city” to life.
With a modern, forward-thinking approach that considers building lifespan, DIKA prioritized sponge city design for outdoor landscapes.
This approach integrates traffic flow, sunlight, and ecological conservation to establish a healthy ecological cycle between the campus and surrounding roads and green spaces — the essential “breath” of future campuses.
With the “breathing” challenge addressed, the campus’s public areas feature open, interactive, and eco-friendly green landscapes. To blend with the natural environment and cultural vibe, the design incorporates the region’s most iconic landscapes, forming a hillside-like natural area.
The hillside is equipped with corridors, slides, running tracks, climbing structures, and other play equipment, creating a three-dimensional playground. A spacious elevated second-floor area caters to various sports activities, providing sheltered outdoor space for children’s daily play, regardless of weather.
To enhance user experience, a large waiting area for parents is positioned near the main entrance. This space not only facilitates daily parent-park interaction but also helps alleviate traffic congestion on the main road, making the park a humble and integrated part of community life.
Paying Tribute to the Future Through Art
The pristine ecological environment and vast green spaces reconnect us to nature and the origins of life, offering an aesthetic experience that stimulates intelligence indoors.
The spirit of exploration continues as DIKA’s signature “Bubble” design language manifests in various cabin shapes, windows, and cave-like forms, infusing the space with softness and fun. The color palette—white, vibrant red accents, and warm wood tones—combined with bright classrooms, embraces children’s most familiar and beloved forms and colors, enhancing their spatial perception.
Functional zones are thoughtfully organized around teaching, sports, entertainment, and rest — expanding from points to surfaces, lines to spaces.
Immersed in a futuristic technological atmosphere, DIKA integrates classic artworks, artistic furniture, and immersive tech experiences to offer children a multidimensional encounter with life and growth. This space inspires curiosity and a deeper understanding of life as they enter their first public environment.
DIKA believes that in today’s thriving cultural and artistic era, with a generation shaped by the Internet, campus buildings must offer more than just teaching and convenience. They must provide immersive experiences that solve problems and broaden intellectual horizons, meeting the needs of humanities, science, and art. DIKA is committed to growing alongside this new generation, unlocking limitless possibilities.
Project Drawings
▲ Overall Project Plan
▲ Model Diagram
▲ Model Diagram
▲ Elevation View
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Second Floor Plan
▲ Third Floor Plan
Project Details
Project Name: Chongqing Danan Street Kindergarten
Total Area: 15,560 square meters
Location: Chongqing, China
Design Firm: Deca Architectural Design Center
Lead Architect: Wang Junbao
Main Creative Team: Tian Jiabin, Fu Huiming, Tan Huimin, Ou Jiyong, Zhang Qi, Lu Qingyin, Zhang Zhigang, Wan Lisha, Gao Xin
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