BIBA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RENOVATION

SHNU EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOL

Located in the characteristic "Jiangnan" water town of Jiashan, the project echoes the regional vernacular of "white walls and gray tiles" through a contemporary architectural volume defined by native gray-white materials and wood accents. The interior design deeply responds to the global paradigm shift towards "21st Century Schools," grounding its spatial logic in the theories of "Learning Communities" and "Multiple Intelligences." Breaking away from the traditional, enclosed model of unidirectional instruction, the design constructs a student-centric, open ecosystem where teaching and research are organically integrated, catering to the increasing demand for personalized and flexible learning environments.

LOCATION Jiashan, China

AREA 45000 m²

STATUS Completed

CLIENT Jiashan Happiness Foundation Education Investment Co., Ltd.

YEAR 2018

PROGRAMS Education, Theater, Interior Design

The chromatic strategy is strictly derived from the local geographical context. While maintaining the neutral architectural base of gray, white, and wood, the interiors introduce the pink of the Azalea—the city flower—as the primary visual axis, accented by the yellow-green of the Ginkgo and the blue-green hues of the water town. This strategy is articulated distinctly within the Teaching Building: the Central Atrium, Grade-level Lounges, and Theater utilize high-saturation pinks to establish spatial hierarchy and stimulate social interaction.

Standard classrooms maintain a neutral tone to ensure focus, whereas specialized classrooms employ a color-coding system—ochre, gray-blue, and yellow-green—to demarcate Humanities, Arts, and Natural Sciences, respectively. In contrast, the Exhibition Hall adopts a minimalist palette, receding into the background to prioritize the display of exhibits.

Serving as the spiritual core of the campus, the Academy (Library) draws conceptual inspiration from traditional "Bamboo Slips" and the "Bamboo of Nanshan." Distinct from the vibrancy of the teaching areas, this space abstracts the verticality and texture of bamboo slips to establish a sense of rhythm and order. The design creates a minimalist, introspective atmosphere, metaphorically mirroring the students' cultivation and resilience. The overall project seeks a synthesis between the "Jiangnan" temperament and modern pedagogical philosophies, utilizing the logic of color and space to construct a diverse environment that fosters exploration and inquiry.