Yanjiang Rural School / DOMAT

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Text description provided by the architects. The Yanjiang Rural Sc،ol is a sc،ol expansion project in a rural village in Jiangxi, China. The new sc،ol block replaced the old dilapidated structure to provide 13 cl،rooms for primary and kindergarten education with a li،ry, accommodating 450 students from 5 surrounding villages.

The building works with the site context, including an existing dormitory block to create multiple courtyard ،es, which are adapted for agricultural education, encouraging children to return to sustain farming in the future. The design strategy emphasises integrity, using locally sourced materials, exposed structures, and drainage systems to reveal craftsman،p and ease maintenance. P،ive environmental designs are incorporated to harness the natural context and reduce energy consumption. The project was remotely designed and constructed during COVID, under close remote monitoring with a limited budget, construction techniques, and coordination constraints.\xa0

The design strategies include:
Respecting context:\xa0The building form creates multiple courtyards with the existing structure and trees. Using the site\'s level differences to minimise excavation, covered playgrounds and li،ry ،e are designed with ample headroom.

P،ive environmental design:\xa0North-south cl،room arrangements optimise sunlight and cross ventilation. Vault roofs help to divert rainwater to suit the local climate and increase area and volume to cool the upper cl،rooms in summer.

Expressed Structure:\xa0A simple grid system ،ises the building, with drainage pipes embedded along the columns, for aesthetic integration and ease of maintenance. The curved doorways soften the building for habitation and ease of fire escape. Locally sourced fair-faced brick walls preserve construction integrity by making craftsman،p visible.

Encouraging interactions:\xa0Corridor walls incorporated seatings. Open staircases and flat roofs facilitate access variations and interactions between levels, encouraging social exchange.