MAD Architects has completed the YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten in Beijing as a part of a commission in 2017. The project site, covering an area of 9,275 square meters, consisted of an original 18th-century Siheyuan courtyard, an adjacent replica courtyard built in the 1990s, and a four-story modern building. Following its completion at the end of 2019, the kindergarten now serves as a pre-school for 390 children. 

"When I looked back at my own kindergarten years, and even the ones I saw after I grew up, I always wondered what it is that kids long for the most," said Ma Yansong in a statement. "Perhaps it is freedom and love. A kindergarten doesn't always have to offer complex hardware or fixtures, but it must always make kids feel freedom and love – something that leads them to endless possibilities."

As part of the design, MAD chose to remove the replica courtyard outside the 19th-century original and replace it with a new space that envelops the Siheyuan courtyard. This new building forms a "floating roof" that connects the separated areas on the site.

At ground level, three courtyards encircle several existing trees. The new courtyards provide classrooms with light, ventilation, and outdoor spaces. Slides and stairs connect the courtyards to the rooftop landscape above.

"Old Beijing has many 'cracks' - tunnels, roofs, courtyards, etc. The courtyards, in particular, reflect an oriental view of nature. Here, nature becomes the main subject, and the architecture instead revolves around it. In the courtyard, there is nature, the world, and human life, acting together to form the core of the architecture." 

The interior of the building suspends from a single aluminum grille. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow natural light to fill the space while also offering views to the outside. The first-floor transition space to the sunken level on the east side of the lobby forms a theater, the top of which is surrounded by a circular wall of bilingual children's books. The west side of the lobby leads to a learning area, where students can intermingle.