Four years ago, when we were assigned the design for this project, there was significant debate about whether this land was suitable for building a primary school campus. The site lies on the edge of a large cultural and tourism real estate development, situated in a mountainous area with steep slopes and a height difference reaching up to 35 meters. The education department and many others viewed the land as unsuitable for a primary school campus due to concerns about the safety and convenience for students aged 7 to 12 commuting to and from school.
However, the presence of the mountains inspired us, presenting an opportunity to create an extraordinary campus. Mountains are a double-edged sword; effective design must minimize their challenges while emphasizing their positive attributes. Our entire concept revolves around the “mountains,” aiming to craft a campus that is accessible, easy to navigate, and functional within this mountainous setting.
The terrain slopes upward from east to west, with a low point in the center. We positioned the main teaching area on the eastern slope, while the gymnasium, swimming pool, faculty dormitory, cafeteria, and other facilities are combined into a single building on a small hill to the west. The sports field occupies the central low-lying area, with appropriate soil fill and a drainage ditch beneath it.
A corridor on the north side connects the east and west blocks, creating a valley green corridor through the center of the campus that links the city with nature. This layout avoids the mountain blocking views from the road and disperses the campus across two locations integrated with the natural terrain.
Mountain villages in countries like Italy and Spain are often located atop peaks, presenting a visible and prominent image. In contrast, Chinese mountain villages typically sit at the foot or on the slopes, adopting a more hidden posture. For this project, we minimized the height of the four teaching buildings, embedding them within the mountain forest perpendicular to the contour lines and arranging them radially along the slope.
Between the teaching buildings are stepped garden terraces located at and near the mountain’s base. Under these terraces, auxiliary spaces such as corridors, teacher offices, and restrooms are arranged on each floor. These rooms feature windows facing the corridors and sunlit courtyards at the rear, ensuring moisture protection, ventilation, and natural light.
The radial layout of the main teaching buildings facing urban roads and sports fields creates a visual corridor that frames views of the mountains. Whether on campus or passing by on city roads, people can enjoy mountain views from multiple angles. Even after construction, the mountains continue to dominate the landscape.
It is common to think that aligning buildings parallel to mountain contour lines saves earthwork. However, this approach places each building at a different elevation, creating drastic changes in outdoor ground levels, which can be inconvenient and unsafe for elementary students commuting daily.
By orienting buildings perpendicular to the contour lines, one end of each teaching building rests at the mountain’s foot, allowing the first floor to be at a consistent elevation across buildings. Students can use a first-floor corridor at the mountain base to move safely between buildings and access stairs leading to upper floors, eliminating the difficulty of climbing slopes. This design ensures convenience and safety comparable to a flat campus.
Moreover, children can spend their free time exploring stair-step gardens at the same level, enjoying spacious outdoor areas uncommon in flat campuses.
When buildings and mountains coexist, scale becomes a key factor. Large buildings can dwarf the mountains, while smaller structures allow the mountains to dominate the presence. However, in Lingnan campuses, too small a scale causes inconvenience, as daily movement between buildings involves stairs and outdoor walks, compromising comfort and practicality.
To address this, we used design strategies to break down the building scale: corridors between buildings are recessed under stepped platforms, granting each teaching building a sense of independence. The corridor-style buildings shift back and forth like interlocking volumes. We also inserted two smaller volumes—a library and a shared classroom—between the main square and courtyard, creating visual variety and order.
This approach visually decomposes and disperses the large architectural complex, forming a settlement that nestles naturally at the mountain’s base.
We designed sunshade window covers on the classroom facades, which also house the outdoor air conditioning units. The solid walls rise smoothly, curling into a mountain-shaped roof that breaks off on the opposite side of the building. The semi-enclosed facade naturally transitions into an open corridor.
The curled, sloping roof evokes a “mountain house,” avoiding the sharp, Western-style mountain wall appearance and instead referencing certain Chinese symbolic memories. This “mountain house” not only seeks a language that harmonizes with the surrounding mountains and forests but also creates a playful dialogue with the large cultural and tourism project nearby, infusing the campus with childlike wonder and a unique identity.
The mountain house roof offers an extraordinary spatial experience at the top level, ending in an open area shaped like a mountain viewing frame.
The valley green corridor in the depression, the mountain-view visual corridor, the pedestrian corridor at the mountain’s base, staggered exterior corridors on the buildings, and the open viewing corridor beneath the sloping eaves together form a network of interwoven pathways that connect architecture with the natural mountains and forests.
This complex spatial arrangement avoids monotony by arranging corridors in a zigzag pattern around the mountain. Corridors on different floors connect directly to adjacent green terraces, creating varied spatial experiences with constantly changing views. Although the campus is compact, it feels expansive, achieving the intended spatial effect.
Historically, ancient villages often harmonized naturally with their environment by following practical principles such as seeking auspiciousness, avoiding harm, following natural trends, and using local materials. In this project, all our strategies aim to adapt to the site and address challenges, creating a “mountain house settlement” that coexists with the surrounding mountains and forests.
Our design plan was met with unanimous praise from the project owners, government officials, and evaluation experts. However, the project faced multiple challenges, and construction drawings lost alignment with the original design for a time. The boundary between the buildings and the mountain was altered, with plans for tall retaining walls, among other changes.
Despite these setbacks, thanks to unwavering support from regulatory authorities over the years and the commitment of like-minded collaborators, the project was completed in the latter half of the year. The campus is now finished, and the school is operational. Plants and trees have just been planted on the stepped terraces, and we look forward to their flourishing growth, as if nature from the mountains and forests is spilling down into the campus.
Project Drawings
△ Altitude Analysis Chart
△ Base Schematic Diagram
△ Basement Floor Plan
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Fourth Floor Plan
△ Fifth Floor Plan
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
△ Detail Drawing
△ Streamline Analysis Diagram
Project Information
Architect: Motai Architecture
Area: 24,000 square meters
Project Year: 2022
Photographer: TAL
Lead Architect: Shen Chi
Design Team: Shen Chi, Zhong Guanzhou, Wang Yu, Chen Jingchong, Jiang Yujie, Zhuang Jikun, Wang Xiaoqiu, Huang Libo, Pan Jin, Fang Xiaoli
Author: Shen Chi
Owner: Guangdong Huizhou Qunfeng Hot Spring Investment Co., Ltd.
Construction Drawing Design: Guangdong Boyi Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd.
Landscape Design: Shunyin Greening Design Engineering Co., Ltd.
Location: Huizhou City, Guangdong Province
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