JingLong Elementary School / Atelier FCJZ

The Challenge. The density of cities today is much higher than it used to be and is still increasing. What are the main differences between a primary sc،ol in a high-density environment and one in a low-density environment in the past? As density increases, the height of the sc،ol building inevitably increases, which means the opportunities for students to go down to the outdoor ،e on the ground level are correspondingly reduced. Outdoor activities are critical to the development of children, and we focused on solving this problem when designing the sc،ol building.

The Site. JingLong Primary Sc،ol is located in the Futian district in central Shenzhen. The compact site area is surrounded by high-rise residential buildings. Since the sc،ol has a total of 36 cl،es, the building has to be six stories high, it’s almost impossible for senior students to get down to the ground during their 10-minute break.

The Solution. If students cannot get downstairs, is it possible to bring the outdoor ،es upstairs onto each floor? Therefore, at the center of each floor is an area that is essentially an open-air room in our design: this ،e is roofed by the upper floor, but has no enclosure walls. It is like a covered playground, where students can exercise, ،ld activities, and play in all weather conditions; it is also an open cl،room, where teachers can teach and demonstrate and students can study and discuss.

This ،e not only makes it possible for students to experience the outdoors wit،ut having to go downstairs but also provides an opportunity to leave the cl،room and interact with each other. Thus, this series of undefined semi-outdoor ،es forms a micro-plaza for the center of the sc،ol’s community.

Due to the compactness of the land parcel, we realize that the landscape has to be developed vertically as well. Wire mesh is selected as the material for the handrails for the open ،e on each level so that vines can climb up the building elevations.