The core of Qingyi Jianglu Elementary School in Deyang, Sichuan Province, is a lattice layout and ample natural light. TAO – Trace Architecture Office – designed a widespread educational center with an art gallery-like roof that allows you to distinguish between the growth and development of students of different ages.
When Li Hua, the architect who founded TAO-Trace Architects, was sketching out the concept for the future Deyang Qingyi Jianglu Elementary School, his notes filled with the same idea over and over again: “a rooftop school.” He was commissioned by the Jingyang District Bureau of Education to design a new “high-density” school on a newly allotted vast area of ​​about 60,000 square meters. A nascent community in which the site in question is nothing more than an unnamed square surrounded by high-rise residential towers, built or under construction, with no particular distinguishing features. Given the size constraints, the volume of the building is designed to extend far beyond classrooms and faculty offices, encompassing virtually everything from living quarters with student residences and canteens to auditoriums and indoor and outdoor sports fields. Determining the need for differentiation is indeed a pressing issue when dealing with such large numbers. So Huali thought of the possibility of organizing the activities in a horizontal grid by exposing them vertically across the roof. Each roof is designed to visually identify, including in the minds of children, a different class, school subject, or stage in their growth and development. In pursuit of standardized diversity, the Chinese company delved into the concept of the roof itself, not only in terms of specific shapes, but also in terms of allowing sunlight to enter at an angle and allow for natural ventilation. Thus, in the context of a truly overgrown school, the roof becomes a symbol of individuality and happiness.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of cushion building, based on the theory of physical and political identity between the university and the city, articulated by British architect Alison Smithson in his 1974 architectural design, Hua Li extends the principle of orthogonal grids as a means of warping space. With a large and diverse user base, the school should be seen not as a centralized organism neatly arranged within the city, but as a place to experiment with new urban forms – in fact, as a separate city. The starting point is the Urban Limitation of the Floor Area Ratio (or FAR), i.e. the ratio between the total gross area of ​​a building and the area of ​​the lot on which it is built, set in this case to a low average of just 0.5. TAO architects explained that in order to comply with generally stricter restrictions, Chinese school buildings are traditionally built upwards, reaching more than four stories, which impairs communication between classrooms and ground floor common areas due to distance issues. However, in this case, the company managed to limit the maximum height of the building in order to facilitate interaction between students and encourage the use of group spaces. The new school building features playgrounds, courts and yards for outdoor activities on the first and second floors, interspersed with covered spaces in a grid pattern, and all classrooms are located on the first floor with two-level ceilings. Only the eastern side of the hostel building has two whole floors. Although the density of space is increased by the grid layout, this does not negatively affect the ratio of filled to empty spaces, and the maximum building height remains modest. Unlike the centralized school model, in which the beating heart is represented by a central courtyard that simultaneously serves as an open-air auditorium and a stage for all social events, in the distributed model used here, the grid ensures the integration of the numerous open courtyards that surround the classrooms. The volumes speak to this with in terms of distribution and perspective. Moreover, each of these courtyards on the ground floor is decorated in its own way: they can have a playground, and a zigzag staircase, and stepped ramps that form various galleries, and even a round staircase, and a series of miniature gardens. Classrooms, functional spaces and courtyards are connected by walkways and arcades on the first and second floors. This is based on a desire to recreate as many aspects of the urban landscape as possible to help young users identify different spaces and, most importantly, understand how the world around them develops as they grow older. The grid ensures there is no hierarchy whatsoever, while the changes within provide a reassuring sense of clarity and direction. Delving into the details of the project, Gorgeous commented on the natural lighting in the classrooms. While in a multi-storey school, light can only enter through the side windows, here the goal is to provide a multi-faceted experience of the space by changing the lighting, which also enters through the roof. Therefore, TAO has designed an impressive six different types of roofs, each with a different shape and skylight, inspired by art galleries rather than schools, meaning everyday landscapes in a way that promotes creativity that is constantly changing. “The design of the roof and the lighting strategies are based on the age characteristics of students and the learning styles of different classes,” said Li Hua. In terms of project ecology, a grid with small modules connected by arcades and open-air paths as filter spaces promotes natural protection and ventilation, alleviating Sichuan’s humid and rainy climate. The school’s open skylights provide an additional cooling mechanism that saves energy.
Mara Corradi Project Name: Qingyijiang Road Primary School Client: Jingyang District Education Bureau, Deyang Location: Deyang, Sichuan Program: Classroom, student dormitory, canteen, assembly hall, office, etc. Chief architect: HUA Li | TAO (Trace Architecture Office) www.tao.cn Design team: Hua Li, Yan Yadong, Li Wenjie, Chen Yuan, Wang Langhuan, Du Yunqiao, Cheng Xiangju, Zhao Kai, Ma Kong, Feng Zhenghui, Tang Yuanhong, SONG Jing, Chen Xiaoyi, Zhao Wenjia, GUO Siyang, LEI Zheng, ZHANG Ming Area: 29,943 sqm Structural system: Steel structure (classroom building), reinforced concrete structure (student dormitory, canteen and auditorium) Design: 2017-2019 Construction: 2019- 2022 Photos: Schran Images
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