Preface

Linping No.3 Middle School Fenghe Road Campus is in the Linping Economic Development Zone, Hangzhou, designed as a 30-class middle school.

On the one hand, the education reform process in recent years has emphasized "decentralization"; on the other hand, it can still not avoid the traditional score evaluation system in the current environment. Therefore, based on the rational planning of traditional "formal learning space," we emphasize the integrated design of "informal learning space" and "virtual learning space" on the campus by tapping into the transportation space, green space, and other areas.

Strategy 1: Build a Shared Learning Neighborhood

Students arrive at 7:30 a.m. and the day begins. Each class lasts 45 minutes with 10 minutes between classes. In a high-intensity study, students need to have space to move around.

In the traditional layout, the long traffic lines compress the limited activities space, and the outdoor space is often unavailable due to weather conditions. Therefore, we introduce the concept of a "Shared Learning Neighborhood" in the organization of indoor and outdoor spaces, blurring the boundaries between teaching spaces and outdoor activities. The horizontal and vertical transportation system efficiently connects various functional spaces above and below the ground without any obstacles, so that students can quickly and conveniently complete the scene change, creating a ubiquitous informal learning space.

Strategy 2: Diverse Learning Space

The American architect Louis Isadore Kahn once said that a school begins under a tree. The campus is an environment composed of spaces suitable for learning, and the "Shared Learning Neighborhood" designed by us starts from the sub-entrance on the south side and ends at the landscaped platform on the north side, connecting the classrooms, library, administrative, and sports areas. It is interspersed with plazas, rooftop terraces, courtyards, and grand staircase grassy slopes. The original topographic height difference of the site has been resolved through the setting of the scenes, which in turn creates a rich and three-dimensional spatial place, making it interesting.

In between classes, students can quickly and freely play and communicate in these spaces, and learning occurs naturally. These diverse campus "learning ecosystems" are constructed to meet the future-oriented needs of students through one scenario after another.

Strategy 3: Let Nature Permeate School Life

The south and west sides of the campus site have a sense of oppression from the high-density residential area, while the north and east sides have a beautiful river view and quiet space. In the overall layout, we place the gymnasium and sports ground on the west side of the site to block interference from the outside world, and at the same time facilitate the sharing with the surrounding community. The building clusters are arranged in the northeast direction. The main entrance plaza is connected to the west side of the road and the shared learning street through the storm corridor so that students are not blocked by the wind and rain from the time they enter the campus. The campus buildings are transformed using setbacks, interspersions, and elevations, allowing the landscape to penetrate the semi-enclosed teaching clusters.

The building as a whole chooses plain gray and white as the main tone and increases the use of white vertical louvers, aluminum panels, and wood grain-colored textured paint to form a delicate, rich, and unified expression of the façade so that the landscape of the campus and the architectural space are intertwined with each other. When the boundaries become blurred, students can look for what they think is a beautiful landscape from more perspectives.

Conclusion

It is easy to find that modern campuses often assume the role of simulating miniature social relationships. Through spatial design, we respond to the concept of "decentralization" education and try to realize the reproduction of multi-dimensional educational scenarios. It helps to make learning not only take place in the classroom but also the entire campus environment: students work together, explore, and construct themselves independently, welcoming a future with more possibilities.