This project is situated in a peaceful residential neighborhood in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, China. The designer worked closely with the owner to convert an office space between buildings into a kindergarten. The surrounding area is culturally rich, featuring various art museums, galleries of different sizes, international schools, and other educational institutions, making it a vibrant hub for arts and culture in Beijing.
Unlike many large kindergartens in China, this facility accommodates fewer children, focusing on delivering small-scale, high-quality early childhood education. Within this operational model, the designers have skillfully maximized the limited space to create an environment that embraces nature and culture while fostering emotional development in children.
Historically, Beijing was known as “Yanjing,” a name symbolizing an abundance of bird species and their nesting habits. This inspired the kindergarten’s design concept, which uses the motif of “spreading wings and flying” to represent children’s play, learning, perception, and growth.
The layout ensures smooth movement throughout both indoor and outdoor spaces, guiding children’s activities naturally. Outdoor terraced stairs connect the first through third floors, allowing the small garden footprint to support daily physical activity in a three-dimensional way. Furthermore, the rooftop garden on the third floor links to an art space beneath the sloped roof, seamlessly extending creative teaching from inside to outside. Indoor spaces on the first and second floors are also connected by crawl spaces, enabling children to play and engage in activities indoors during colder months.
Another key feature of the design is its integration of art into the daily lives of children, reflecting the strong cultural and artistic atmosphere of the neighborhood. A slender gallery space near the entrance serves as a venue to showcase both children’s artwork and rotating exhibitions by local artists, fostering an immersive environment for artistic exchange through everyday kindergarten activities.
Project Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Architects: Hibino Design, Yoritomo Castle
Area: 811 m²
Year: 2023
Photographer: Taku Hibino
Manufacturers: Daiken, Elkay, Nets Tribe
Lead Architect: Hibino
Location: Beijing, China
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