[Crossboundaries, Beijing - Beisha Kindergarten, Jiangsu - COVER IMG] Mini Village in Jiangsu /photo: WU Qingshan

Beisha Kindergarten, Jiangsu

PrizeHonorable Mention in Architectural Design / Educational Buildings
Firm LocationBeijing, China
CompanyCrossboundaries, Beijing
Lead ArchitectBinke Lenhardt, DONG Hao
Design TeamTracey Loontjens, Alan Chou, Andra Ciocoiu, HAO Hongyi
ClientEducation Bureau of Fu’ning County, Jiangsu

Appropriate scale of the project was a crucial starting point of this design and led us in creating a building cluster for Beisha, with required building volumes broken down to house-like pieces, integrated by the central multifunctional open space. This integration of the outdoor and indoor is crucial to the early education environment and innate to the rural context. This Beisha kindergarten functions as a smaller, slightly modified version of a village, of which the scale gives the children a sense of familiarity and the building relationships introduce novelty and encourage curiosity.