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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Lushan Primary School in Jiangxi, China by Zaha Hadid ArchitectsJune 14th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Zaha Hadid Architects Lushan Primary School will be an educational institute for 120 children located 160km north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, and serve 12 local villages with a total population of about 1,800 people. Surrounded by mountains as well as the rivers and lakes fed by the Zhelin Reservoir, the school is within an agricultural region that also has a rich tradition in the production of ceramics.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects
 Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects The school’s curriculum is a synthesis of Chinese and international academic systems; combining an education in the creative arts with a comprehensive syllabus of STEM subjects that also includes advanced internet-based learning technologies. Visiting teachers and artists will make the school a focus for the community it serves.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects The campus includes the school, dormitory and utility buildings within vaulted spaces that connect directly with their rural surroundings. The classrooms have flexible learning arrangements and outdoor teaching areas. Composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the vaults stretch and intersect to accommodate the school’s varied programme. A long central courtyard acts as the school’s main circulation space and play area.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects The vaulted classrooms are orientated for the best natural light conditions, as well as to frame views to the surrounding landscape. Cantilevers protect the classrooms from the solar gain of Jiangxi’s sub-tropical climate and extend the teaching spaces into the landscape to provide a varied and interactive learning environment. The barrel and parabolic vaults act as the school’s primary structure and enclosure, with each vault performing as an individual structural element.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects To minimise construction time and also reduce the number of separate building elements required to be transported to the school’s remote location, ZHA proposes to combine the local skills of in-situ concrete construction with new advancements in hot-wire cut foam formwork that can be prepared on site by an industrial robot to create the barrel and parabolic shaped moulds. The modularity of the vaults enables moulds to be used multiple times, further accelerating the construction process and reducing costs.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects The region’s long history of producing the highest quality ceramics dates from the Ming Dynasty. These traditions are continued in the school’s ceramic external finishes laid in a gradient of tones that express the differing programmes within. Located on a small peninsula surrounded on three sides by water and bordering farmland to the north, the school is on an elevated escarpment five metres above the 50-year flood level. Its surrounding landscape incorporates outdoor teaching spaces and sports facilities, and also serves as a natural water catchment area to further protect the school from flooding. This surrounding landscape rises towards the school, creating natural areas within its raised courtyards.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects Founder Established by Jinggan Yu, president of the College of the Arts in Jiangxi, the Lushan Primary School combines his work as an educator with his passion for the built environment. In addition to his academic work at the College of the Arts, Yu is an architect, designer and painter. Born in Jiangxi, he established China’s first specialist interior design company, with over 2,000 branches in more than 500 cities across the country.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects The Lushan Primary School design is defined by Yu’s vision to create opportunities for children in his hometown to grow and develop within an inspirational learning environment. Following his many years’ of experience as an educator and designer, Yu’s research of academic systems around the world has informed the school’s curriculum which combines the best methodologies of local and international systems, enabling children to freely develop and be happy in both mind and body. The design aims to create spaces that build relationships between the students, their teachers and their environment, establishing their life-long curiosity for exploration and discovery.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects Student Body Lushan Primary School will consist of the Foundation Stage for children aged 3 to 6 years (equivalent to kindergarten) and the Primary Stage for children 6 to 12 years of age. Connecting the Foundation Stage with the Primary School programme gives children and their families an easier transition between the two stages and ensures the best preparation for Primary School. With 14 pupils in each of the 9 classrooms, the total number of children attending the school will be approximately 120.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects Curriculum Lushan Primary School will operate the Chinese National Curriculum and incorporate methodologies within the UK’s academic system with a focus on the arts and creative development. This approach will enable local children to continue their education in any Chinese secondary school, but also develop a broader understanding of the contemporary world.  Image Courtesy © Zaha Hadid Architects
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Categories: Building, Campus, Pre-School Campus, School, space |
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