Qutan Grundschulerweiterung by Saup Szu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Bronze in Architektur-, Gebäude- und Bauwerksdesign Competition Category.

BronzeArchitektur· 2023

Qutan Grundschulerweiterung

by Saup Szu

Client: The Institute of Architecture Design & Research of Shenzhen University

A' Design Award in Bronze Winner in Architektur Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Qutan Grundschulerweiterung

Qutan ist eine zweigeschossige Erweiterung für eine Grundschule in einem abgelegenen Dorf im Süden Chinas. Der Neubau schafft auf einer Fläche von 570 Quadratmetern vier Klassenzimmer, einen Leseraum, zwei Aktivitätsräume und zwei Lehrerzimmer. Auf einem freien Grundstück an der Ostseite des Schulgeländes platziert, trennt der Erweiterungsbau das ruhige Schulgelände vom Dorfplatz außerhalb. Aus lokalen Flussbetten gesammelte Kieselsteine bilden das Mauerwerk des Erdgeschosses. Sonnenschutzgitter an der Ost- und Westfassade mindern die sommerliche Sonneneinstrahlung.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Bronze

Qutan Grundschulerweiterung ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Bronze, einer hochprestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für herausragende Designs, die sich durch Kreativität, Einfallsreichtum und Scharfsinn auszeichnen. Bronze-Gewinner sind reichlich geschickte und auffallend kreative Artefakte, die die große Erfahrung, Fantasie und Findigkeit ihrer Designer belegen. Von Qutan Grundschulerweiterung wird erwartet, dass es ein hochgeschätztes, bewundertes und geliebtes Objekt ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Bronze prämierte Design verkörpert bewährte Verfahren in Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie und ist hervorragend in seiner Liebe zum Detail. Qutan Grundschulerweiterung befriedigt Bedürfnisse auf großartige Weise, berührt Wünsche, bezaubert Gefühle und spricht die Neugier an.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The design team embedded the new two-story building on the vacant lot on the east side of the school campus to divide the school space into internal and external parts. By doing so, the quietness inside the school can be ensured, and the Central Small Square outside is turned into an extension and transition of the village's communal space. The corridor running through the middle of the new building forms a circulation route and also shows the application of traditional architectural space form.
Dimensions & Packaging: Project area: 570 square meters
Type: School
Tags: School, traditional architectural, cobbles, pitched roof, Qutan Village
Production Technology: The newly added building's first-floor walls combined masonry technique and cobbles commonly found in local riverbeds. The wall construction methods inherited local architectural traditions. What's more, to block sunlight in summer and strengthen the comfort of spatial use, sun-shading grilles were installed on the east and west exteriors of the newly added building, and the width of the west corridor was expanded to offer more activity space to children.
Design Challenge: Qutan Primary School originally comprised a two-story teaching building in the north and a single-story auxiliary building in the south, with an activity venue in the middle. Since the existing layout blurred the boundary between the school and the village's public space, the school space lacked a sense of belonging. Meanwhile, cars from outside the village often parked at will on the open area where the school's east entrance is located, which brought potential safety hazards.
Research: The project is located in Qutan, a remote village in southern China. To improve learning conditions, retain more children to study in local primary school, and avoid the separation between them and their parents, Qutan Village Committee decided to use the funds donated by the society to extend the existing campus of Qutan Primary School by adding a two-story building that accommodates four classrooms, one reading room, two activity rooms, and two teachers' offices.
Inspiration: The new architecture learned from the wisdom of local traditional buildings to adapt to the climate, and adopted cobbles, a typical local material of Qutan, to construct masonry walls. The project's completion has expanded the students' learning space, satisfied their need for a nearby school, and created a safer school environment with a sense of belonging. And it has also established an architectural paradigm reflecting Qutan's architectural traditions.
Project Duration: Location: Qutan Village, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, China
Design start date: 2021.05
Design end date: 2020.07
Operation Flow: The project is located in Qutan, a remote village in southern China. The brief is extending the existing campus of Qutan Primary School by adding a two-story building that accommodates four classrooms, one reading room, two activity rooms, and two teachers' offices. The project's completion has expanded the students' learning space, satisfied their need for a nearby school, and also established an architectural paradigm reflecting Qutan's architectural traditions.
Team Members: Zhong Botao
Zhong Dekun
Zhong Zhong
Xiong Yonghui
Xing Canqiu
Zhang Yixiang
Image Credits: Image copyright: Ding Xia