BIBA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RENOVATION
VLINK FLAGSHIP CAMPUS
Vlink, a branch of Vanke Community Services, provides after-school and weekend educational programs for learners of all ages within the neighborhood. Rooted in a philosophy of talent awakening and personality shaping, Vlink views education as a natural process of transformation. Much like the caterpillar in Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar—who continuously absorbs nourishment before unfolding into a butterfly—learning here is imagined as a process of gentle, joyful growth.
LOCATION Beijing, China
AREA 400 m²
CLIENT Beijing Wuhe Vanke Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
STATUS Completed
YEAR 2016
PROGRAMS Education, Interior, Signage Design
At Vlink, we believe the best place to grow is home. The center is conceived as such a “home”—a place of comfort, curiosity, and freedom. It is carefree: children can read or play anywhere, with no strict boundaries between learning and play. It is open and transparent: social gatherings and exhibitions flow seamlessly through the space, allowing the building to act as both a classroom and a gallery. It is elegant yet playful: childlike forms are rendered with mature materiality, balancing innocence with refinement.
The spatial experience rejects rigid educational hierarchies. There are no corridors or enclosed classrooms, only fluid, interconnected zones that invite exploration and discovery. Just as life has no fixed pathways, Vlink’s learning environment encourages each child to find their own rhythm and direction.
The design also reflects a balance between privacy and inclusiveness. Smaller “little houses” appear as artful installations within the larger communal volume—spaces where children feel a sense of belonging and ownership. To adults, these small structures enrich the interior as sculptural elements; to children, they are intimate worlds of imagination. The reciprocal visibility between “big” and “small” mirrors the mutual respect between parents and children that defines Vlink’s educational ethos.
Vlink is a place where food, art, science, and play coexist—a microcosm of everyday life that nurtures growth not through instruction, but through experience. It embodies an idea of education as living: a process both ordinary and miraculous, where learning is not a destination, but a way of being.
CHIEF DESIGNER
Xiaoyi Ma
DESIGN TEAM