BIBA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RENOVATION
THIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
In Hefei, a city that shoulders the strategic mission of national innovation and a hub for scientific and technological advancement, we have used the image of a "tree" to construct a future campus that blends order and freedom, technology and nature. This campus serves not only as an educational haven for the children of foreign nationals and overseas Chinese, but also as a crucial platform for Hefei to attract international talent and advance the city's internationalization process.
"The best plan for a year is to cultivate grain; the best plan for ten years is to cultivate trees; the best plan for a lifetime is to cultivate people. With the ambition of cultivating people, we regard the campus as a thriving 'network tree.' It is not only a towering tree of knowledge, but also an ecosystem connecting culture and technology, individuals and communities."
LOCATION Hefei, China
AREA 70000 m²
STATUS Proposal
CLIENT Anonymous
YEAR 2022
PROGRAMS Educational, Architecture Design
The central tree-lined avenue, like a towering tree trunk, forms the most powerful image of the campus. This lush green "trunk" not only connects the various functional areas but also symbolizes the continuity and growth of education. The branches extending from the main trunk—those alternating and staggered courtyards—naturally divide the teaching area into multiple independent yet interconnected units, meeting the needs for natural ventilation and emergency isolation in the post-pandemic era while creating abundant outdoor activity spaces.
Along both sides of the main road, like clusters of fruit, are the core spaces including teaching buildings, a theater, a gymnasium, a restaurant, an early learning center, a Hui-style academy, and dormitories. These buildings are connected by closed-loop corridors, forming a continuous, social campus. The corridors are not only connecting passageways but also vibrant spaces for showcasing student work and facilitating chance encounters and exchanges. While maintaining a regular form to ensure efficient use, each building is kept to an appropriate scale to create an intimate and pleasant spatial environment. The theater, as a cultural landmark and artistic beacon on campus, will become the core of the campus's spiritual life, illuminating the path of students' growth.
At the south entrance of the campus, the confident and elegant welcoming plaza showcases the openness of international education; while at the west entrance, the warm and comfortable drop-off area conveys humanistic care through its delicate and intimate spatial scale; the north entrance, serving as the main passageway between the dormitory area and the Hui-style academy, creates a tranquil and elegant homecoming atmosphere with its serene water features. Each of the three entrances has its own unique characteristics, collectively forming a multifaceted window for dialogue between the campus and the city.
As an international school located within a science and technology demonstration zone, we foster a harmonious coexistence between science and nature. Here, every corner speaks to the ideal of "education for all"—from laboratories that inspire exploration to art workshops that encourage creativity, from highly visualized learning centers to flexible maker spaces, from connecting corridors that promote communication to courtyards for quiet reflection, all working together to create an ideal educational environment that supports holistic development, allowing every child to thrive in this fertile ground and become innovative talents for the future.
CHIEF DESIGNER
Xiaoyi Ma
DESIGN TEAM
Pengfei Chen, Jing Zhu, Jiajia Wang, Xuan Zhang, Mufei Yang, Kaibo Wang