Chengdu, China
Located in Chengdu’s LuxeLakes next to Cloud Park, near one of LuxeLake’s early water surfaces, Tektonn Architects’ Cloud Kindergarten is the school of tomorrow in a technologically advanced building volume as if it were a spaceship from the future.
In the last decade, the dissemination of information and knowledge has changed dramatically, but people still have certain images of kindergartens: bright colors, neat and tidy activity units, etc.
Hence, the architects have tried to construct an interior organization with a system of public spaces to present a miniature city and society trying to construct an indoor organization with a system of public space, presenting a miniature city and society.
The team hopes that children can learn manners and proportion through public space, build a friendship through sharing and respect, and develop a sense of scale and materialized aesthetic perception through physical measurement from an early age.
Instead of the usual entrance hall, the architects have chosen to create a sense of ritual and spatial hierarchy rather than a larger spatial scale to create the feeling of entering the park.
The purpose was to build a science fiction dome to divide the multiple functions of the entrance, to fit the art installation, to return to the size of the children, and to create more spatial layers.
From the public space to the classroom, the connecting space is not only a walkway but also a shelter for open and closed spaces: pocket parks, corner plazas, and sports facilities.
Using shaped and poorly lit spaces, the team has created experiential spaces linked by storylines: a baking barn, a space farm, a buildable construction site, a stockpile warehouse, and a vertical forest.
The boundaries between play and learning in the space have been intentionally blurred, allowing children to discover, extend, and learn through the experience.
The classrooms have taken on the role of “home” and are no longer separated into activity rooms and group bedrooms.
The architectural team has introduced the elements of a home: bread tiles, warm-colored bathrooms, and furniture with lines.
The classroom is no longer a closed box, but rather a living room with freely arranged activity spaces visible through the windows, which not only expresses the different personalities of each class but also gives the children a sense of being at home.
Project: Cloud Kindergarten
Architects: TEKTONN ARCHITECTS
Lead Architects: Xiang Wang and Wenmu Tian
Design Team: Ran Qi, Wentao Zhu, Qian Li, Xuebo Yang, Zhe Tang, Hui Li, Xueping Jiang, and Jinshan Gan
Clients: Chengdu Wanxiang Mengtai Education Management Group Co. and Decoration Centre of Chengdu Wanhua New City Development Co.
Photographers: MMCM Studio and HereSpace
