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Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola by Xiaoyi Ma

Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola by Xiaoyi Ma is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Železna nagrada A' Design Award in Arhitektura, gradnja in oblikovanje konstrukcij Competition Category.


ŽeleznaArhitektura· 2021

Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola

by Xiaoyi Ma

Client: Inclusive Architectural Practice

Železna nagrada A' Design Award Winner in Arhitektura Category

Colors

The Design

About Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola

Škatle in dvorišča je osnovna šola v okrožju Changping v Pekingu na Kitajskem. Šola obsega bruto zazidano površino 29.098 kvadratnih metrov in je bila dokončana leta 2019. Tloris nadomešča tradicionalno zasnovo s hodnikom in posameznimi učilnicami z učnimi skupnostmi, od katerih je vsaka osredotočena okoli razredne skupne sobe. Škatle, v katerih so knjižnica, telovadnica in jedilnica, so zasukane tako, da tvorijo trikotna dvorišča, ki prinašajo naravno svetlobo in prezračevanje. Poligonalni notranji prostori služijo kot prilagodljiva učna središča. Stavba sledi standardom pasivne hiše in uporablja materiale, ki zahtevajo malo vzdrževanja.

The Recognition

About the Železna nagrada A' Design Award

Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola je prejemnik Železne nagrade A' Design Award, prestižnega priznanja, ki se podeljuje dobrim oblikovanjem, ki izpolnjujejo profesionalne in industrijske zahteve, pričakovane od dobro zasnovanih stvaritev. Prejemniki Železne nagrade kažejo veliko spretnost, visoko specializacijo, strokovno razumevanje in ustvarjalne zmožnosti svojih ustvarjalcev. Od Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola se pričakuje, da bo visoko cenjena, občudovana in ljubljena stvaritev, ki je praktična in inovativna. To oblikovanje, nagrajeno z Železno nagrado A' Design Award, vključuje najboljše prakse panoge in ima kompetentne tehnične lastnosti, povezane s strokovnim znanjem in talentom. Zaradi svoje temeljitosti si Boxes and Yards Osnovna šola zasluži spoštovanje in je zasnovan tako, da zagotavlja izboljšave kakovosti življenja, ki pomagajo narediti svet boljši kraj.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties
A Story of Boxes and Yards showcases the first public school in China designed for Learning Anywhere Anytime, which breaks through the finger plan and cell plus bell classroom layout in a traditional school. It is also the first school building in Beijing built in accordance with Passive House Standards. Despite of tight budget, with a multi-dimensional, multi-center system of learning communities, this school with a history of a hundred years has turned into a School of 21st Century.
Dimensions & Packaging
Gross Built Area: 29,098 square meters
Tags
Education, Public school, Passive House, Learner-centered, Eco-friendly
Production Technology
Although the wall finish is mostly latex paint due to tight budget, the building is dynamic and playful with rotated massing and spinning color blocks on walls and floors. The interior polygonal spaces, named as Hub of Intelligence, replacing corridors, serve as Lifestyle Center, Student Center, Makerspace, Cybercafe and other multipurpose learning centers for lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, performances, and project-based learning, achieving Learning Anywhere, Anytime.
Design Challenge
The challenge came from the conflict of the tight budget and strict building code restrictions against the high expectation on transforming the school with a history of over 100 years to a genuine learner-centered School of the 21st Century. The design team have successfully chosen the most cost-effective, environmental friendly and low-maintenance materials and methods to turn the design intent to the best reality.
Research
The design team have fully implemented the methodology of learning communities to create a school for Learning Anywhere Anytime with a multi-dimensional and multi-center space system. Throughout the design process, the architectural concept was firmly rooted in the idea of education, and spatial layout was a priority over artificial forms. The design team was successful in creating a learning community that is highly versatile in its transparency, openness, interactivity and adaptability.
Inspiration
The learning community centered with a Grade Lounge constitutes the basic unit of space layout and provides a sense of home base, forming a series of boxes together with the library, gymnasium, canteen and other learning facilities. Triangular courtyards are created in between the rotated boxes, introducing ample natural light and ventilation inside. This generative design process, called as a Story of Boxes and Yards, has greatly enhanced openness and interactivity of learning spaces.
Project Duration
The Story of Boxes and Yards, with another name, Huang Cheng Gen Primary School Changping Campus, is located in Changping District of Beijing, China. The project construction was completed in 2019.
Operation Flow
The design team believes that design is an effective tool to make changes in education and future. Education philosophies such as multiple Intelligences by the famous educator Howard Gardener, Education as growth by John Dewey, and the best practice of small learning communities are well embedded in design. The school educators also embrace these concepts and complemented the work of designers with their visions and practice in education.
Team Members
Xiaoyi Ma
Pengfei Chen
Jiajia Wang
Yan Xia
Renzheng Zhu
Yang Ming
Xuejiao Zhou
Chaoyi Meng
Yue Zhao
Yue Wu
Jiequn Liang
Lei Bao
Image Credits
Zhi Xia

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