Shenzhen Nanshan District Lilin Education School
Venue environment: “Picturesque Mountain Scenery”
Lilin Education School, the first branch of Victoria Education Group in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, is located on the northern edge of Nanshan District. It is nestled between Lilin Park and Nanshan Park, offering a natural backdrop that connects students with nature immediately upon leaving the classroom.
The outdoor facilities include football fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, track and field areas, and running tracks, providing ample space for physical activities. The original structure, composed of two red brick sports halls, was preserved by AG Huichuang in the renovation, maintaining the charm of the sloping roofs.
△ Current building and surrounding environment
The site’s unique geography brings vitality and tranquility, inspiring a design that reconnects the space with nature. The renovated campus focuses on creating a warm atmosphere that centers on students and teachers, encouraging self-awareness, group collaboration, and seamless integration with the surrounding natural landscape.
Project Video
Design Concept: “Blue Mountain Corridor”
AG Huichuang designed a fluid “Blue Mountain Corridor” that connects various indoor spaces vertically and horizontally. This corridor acts as a continuous pathway linking the salon lecture halls, large staircases, and courtyard landscapes. It flows like an endless river of knowledge, weaving together the campus’s diverse functions in a natural, open, and human-centered way.
This design integrates greenery, celebrates the changing seasons of the surrounding mountains, and fosters playful, engaging learning experiences.
△ The “Blue Mountain Corridor” serves as the central axis connecting all building functions
The campus’s functional layout is organized into three zones reflecting different developmental stages: enlightenment, learning, and autonomy. It also includes specialized areas such as water features, ecological sharing spaces, reading corners, speech zones, entertainment areas, and social hubs.
Notable spaces include the Dream Chasing Cloud Ladder, an art exchange platform and maker center; Tiandi Liting, a flexible space for break activities; Chater Square, a brainstorming hub; Da Vinci Wonderland, an art exhibition hall inspired by architectural cracks; and a lively corner designed for informal social interaction.
With flexible and diverse spatial arrangements, the campus encourages interaction and creativity in every corner.
△ Section Diagram
Spatial Design: ‘Natural Infiltration’
The school functions as both an educational institution and a playground. The design harmoniously blends teaching and space, with renovations emphasizing small-scale details that invite sunlight and fresh air, establishing an uninterrupted connection with nature.
From the transparent atrium that floods the space with daylight, to the multifunctional salon area combining multimedia learning and socializing, and from the art gallery on the first floor to the distinct reading spaces on the second floor, the design highlights the infiltration of greenery, vibrant colors, seasonal daylight changes, and the rhythm of the four seasons.
The entrance atrium preserves the original sloped roof, hollowed out to allow sunlight and air to penetrate freely. Sunlight dances through the space, creating an authentic experience of nature indoors. The centerpiece is a cloud staircase with broad steps connecting to the second floor, serving both circulation and social functions.
The steps, clad with natural logs, provide seating for informal gatherings, semi-outdoor speeches, brainstorming sessions, or brief interactions between teachers and students. Children are free to run, jump, and play on these steps.
Above, a bright, transparent dance studio crowns the staircase, with ceiling-mounted functions transforming it into a flexible art exhibition space. The ground floor features a large screen and an adjacent staircase, visually and functionally linking the entrance to the rest of the school.
△ Dream Chasing Cloud Ladder
After hollowing out, the indoor and outdoor spaces connect seamlessly, allowing students to enjoy natural daylight freely throughout the day.
The grand staircase opens to the courtyard, creating a spacious area where alternating wood and stone elements add warmth. This inviting space encourages students to play and gather.
The original building has been adapted to accommodate 36 classes, fully utilizing the site’s scale. Spatial dimensions, stairs, and railings were carefully measured to optimize functionality. For example, the facades flanking the large staircase were hollowed out to bring extra light into the classrooms.
Students can conveniently transport books from the library across a 3cm-wide wooden railing, creating an environment that encourages reading everywhere.
The grid-style railing adds a sense of order to the exterior, while sunlight filtering through creates a rhythm and sense of time throughout campus life.
△ Adjacent to the grand staircase is a reading room where books are accessible at any time
Liting is a courtyard landscape located within the teaching area, designed as a 10-minute activity zone for students during breaks. It features blue concrete paving and four-season greenery arranged in a staggered layout, linking the courtyard elements.
Bathed in sunlight, the courtyard creates an open and inviting atmosphere. The architectural language crafts a “paradise” that appears to emerge naturally from the building’s interior.
From the courtyard, visitors can glimpse a semi-open “reading box” on the second floor, where wood and transparent glass alternate to showcase a pure architectural expression.
△ Liting Courtyard
Children’s “10 minutes of happiness,” enjoying a blue sky filled with freely flowing sunshine and fresh air.
The design cleverly repurposes the space beneath the grand staircase to create a reception area with a water bar. Using transparent glass as a medium combined with an outdoor courtyard, this leisure spot balances movement and stillness.
Through the glass, visitors can watch outdoor hip-hop activities, observe the lively “small square,” and appreciate the calmness of the adjacent resting area—an engaging “observation” experience.
The reception area water bar in the courtyard also serves as a communication space for parents.
The library has been expanded by utilizing floor space to add partitioned areas, increasing the capacity for book collections. It integrates reading with small speech functions, creating a centralized hub for learning and guidance.
Natural wood flooring has been increased, encouraging students to sit and read anywhere or host small book clubs.
The library combines natural and artificial lighting, with high shelves for display and low areas for frequently used books, making access easy and inviting.
The music room, dance studio, and art classroom are interconnected within the larger space, forming smaller units where each class can showcase student work. Classrooms are designed flexibly to suit different ages and teaching styles, featuring movable furniture for younger children, group discussion settings for older students, and enclosed areas for competitions and recreational activities.
All classrooms are equipped with smart teaching technologies, enhancing adaptability and functionality.
Multiple classroom configurations meet diverse educational needs.
△ Standard classrooms, art classrooms, music rooms, and more
A multifunctional lecture hall designed to inspire children’s curiosity and exploration.
Project Drawings
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Third floor plan
Project Information
Project Name: Victoria Park Academy, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
Project Address: No. 8 Longchuantang Street, Dongbin Road, Lilin Community, Nanshan Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
Project Type: Nine-year Integrated School
Project Scale: 36 Classes
Indoor Area: 8,621 square meters
Completion Year: 2022
Owner: Victoria Education Group, Hong Kong
Indoor Renovation & Courtyard Landscape Design: AG Huichuang
Design Lead: Lv Dawen
Design Team: Su Xiaomei, Zhong Yinghao, Pan Zhaofeng, Wang Shuchen, Zeng Xieze, Liu Mengyu, Wang Jue, Huang Weiteng
Video Production: Le is filming Lephoto
Photography: Zheng Hangtian
Graphic and Text, Video Copyright: AG Huichuang
Building Renovation & Structural Design: Guangdong Huading Xinwei Design Engineering Co., Ltd
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