Guanglong Primary School

Taichung, China

Schools

Architects: Wang Weijen Architecture

Location: Tai Ping, Taichung, China
Year: 2002
Client: 光隆国小
Architecture Design Partner: J.C. Yang Architect & Associates

For a school that has nearly two thousand students and 50 classes, the challenge is how to make spaces of appropriate scale for children of smaller groups to have their spatial identities. Rather than using large scaled linear or L-shaped mid-rise blocks that conventional school design does, this project interlocks, rotate and overlap single leveled linear module of blocks, create a series of inter-connected small courtyard unit of 10 by 10 meters.

This layout managed to have classrooms on the ground level have their own courtyard and tree, while those on the upper levels have their own terrace garden. Each four classrooms would be able to share a big tree, sand pit, deck garden and veranda in their won courtyard cluster. Children therefore would not always have to rush along the hallway and run several flights of stairs down to the large playground during the short recess time. The classrooms on the upper level are all facing south, so to provide shading for classrooms on the lower level facing east and west. It intends to create rich spatial experiences for the school like a village, allow children to wonder and explore, running along alleys and streets, learning and growing up in-between spaces of large and small.