A primary school in rural China proposes a new education model
Architectural designers Qiu Jiayu and Paul Mok complete the Erdu Primary School, a pioneering small-class-teaching school in rural China
‘The rigorous, decades-long rural-urban migration has led to significant reduction of students in rural China,' say designers Qiu Jiayu and Paul Mok. The two creatives – Hangzhou-based Jiayu and New York based Mok – who met as classmates at the University of Hong Kong, were called upon by the country's Education Bureau in 2015. The task was to work on a proposal for a new school model for Deqing, a town in the countryside outside the urban hub of Hangzhou.
The pair developed a design for the sustainable architecture of Erdu Primary School around small-class-teaching, a flexible, alternative education model that responds specifically to the needs of lower population numbers in the region. This allows for smaller student ‘hubs' and fewer teachers overseeing them, offering at the same time more opportunity for group play, learning and exchange. Spatial planning followed accordingly.
‘In this particular project, we mainly focused on designing a classroom-and-teacher-office module that would serve as a prototype for future school designs to implement small-class-teaching,' explains Mok. ‘Of course, in our minds, we were always picturing kids running happily around the campus, like what ourselves did as kids. I think that intent is registered in the multi-layered, continuous circulation system that we ended up with.'
Smaller class sizes meant smaller classrooms, providing indeed further space for outdoors areas and communal activities. External circulation and seating were also promoted. The designers formulated terraces, bridges, wide staircases and balconies throughout to ensure students have plenty of space to use for formal and informal activities. These connect with the indoors circulation axis of the main building creating a ‘continuous circulation system', explain the two creators.
‘The functions of indoor spaces (classrooms, gym, offices, etc.) are very specific,' continues Mok. ‘The functions of outdoor spaces, on the other hand, are a lot more flexible, and therefore have a lot more potential for spontaneous interactions among students and teachers: for games during breaks, small group activities, inter-class events, etc.. It also gives the students enough space to exercise during rainy days. A typical school corridor is already a very active space. We further activated it by distributing these outdoor ‘pocket spaces' along the continuous circulation system that is composed of corridors, bridges, terraces, etc.'
The duo worked closely with a local design institute – Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group Co. Ltd – who took care of engineering, landscape design, construction design and construction administration. Spanning 8864 sq m, Erdu Primary opened for the new academic year this autumn.
INTRODUCTION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Postcard from Dubai Design Week 2024: the highlights
Dubai Design Week, the largest design fair in the Middle East, showcased more than 1,000 acclaimed and emerging designers, brands and creative leaders. Here are our highlights
By Maghie Ghali Published
-
Claesson Koivisto Rune on 30 years of their often Japan-inspired designs, charted in a new book
‘Claesson Koivisto Rune: In Transit’ is a ‘round-the-world journey’ into the Swedish studio's projects. Here, the founders tell Wallpaper* about their fascination with Japan, and the concept of aimai
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Discover Eve Arnold’s intimate unseen images of Marilyn Monroe
‘Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold’, published by ACC Art Books, is a personal portrayal of an icon
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Sun Tower is a new Chinese cultural attraction that draws on the celestial cycle
Sun Tower, an imaginative cultural attraction by Open Architecture, draws on the natural cycle and has just opened in China's seaside town of Yantai
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Suzhou visitor centre in China is a perfect balance of contemporary innovation and cultural identity
The Suzhou visitor centre in China is designed by Tsing-Tien Making, a studio that designs to preserve cultural identity
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation
The Architectural Association’s ‘Ripple Ripple Rippling’ is not your typical architecture show, taking an anthropological look at the flux between rural and urban, and bringing a part of China to Bedford Square in London
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell Published
-
Private museum Simple Design Archive is a ‘poetic sound sanctuary’ in China
Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Neri & Hu’s dynamic New Bund theatre takes centre stage in Shanghai’s cityscape
In Shanghai, Neri & Hu’s New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center is a theatre offering a contemporary take on a classical archetype
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tsing-Tien Making's approach is rooted in its 'passion' for architecture
Tsing-Tien Making, a young Chinese practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'Famous but understudied': IM Pei exhibition at M+ in Hong Kong is a deep dive into the architect's legacy
'IM Pei: Life is Architecture' is an exhibition celebrating the global icon; and it's just opened at M+ in Hong Kong
By Ijeoma Ndukwe Published