Page 81 - Designing Ways 302

Cuizhu Foreign

Language School

Shenzhen, China

ocated in the heart of Shenzhen’s historical district, Cuizhu

School establishes a new typology for schools in high-density
Lsubtropical urban environments. Based on a terraced massing,
classrooms sit loosely on large public platforms, forming a series of
shaded outdoor spaces which extend traditional learning spaces. Six
courtyards are carved out of the massing to respond to and extend the
surrounding context, and also to bring light and fresh air into every
corner of the school. A series of roof terraces populated with lush
plantings returns nature to the campus and rewards the city with a
beautiful fifth elevation (the roof plane).

Site and inspiration
The oddly shaped project site exists at the intersection of two major
urban thoroughfares. The massing responds to this by creating a
strong urban wall on the northwest and northeast sides of the project
to create a strong civic presence. Existing historical pathways are
conceptually reconfigured on the site as courtyards that bring light
and air into the project, creating a porous urban condition that
breaks down the strong urban massing. Inspired by images of historic
rice paddies, the urban mass terraces to the south create a stepped
landscape with a dynamic program layout.

Form and landscape
The design of the Cuizhu School reveals a deliberate strategy that
spatially and compositionally links the landscape design and massing
to the site and its environs beyond. The terraced massing of the school
steps down to the south to allow access to light and air, and to promote
a congenial relationship to the open athletic spaces associated with
the school. The voids in the massing create urban entry spaces on
the northwest, and conceptually extend exterior open spaces to the
south and west. Linking the massing to the angled programme layout
creates a dynamic terraced form that extends the landscape from the
ground level to the roof of the school. A dynamic exterior landscape
adds an additional level of nuance for children and visitors, while
promoting exterior programmatic differentiation.

Massing and layout
The programme layout, the massing, and the civic space strategy of
the Cuizhu School are all carefully linked to maximise the potential of
each in relation to the other. The programme bars are arranged from
a position of basic clarity. Regular classrooms, special classrooms,
and offices are arranged for clarity and adjacency, and are adjusted
to match the particulars of the site and desired compositional goals.
The hard edges of the adjusted programme massing are curved to
create figural voids. The floors of these voids are lifted to create raised
courtyards that create public amenities for students and faculty. A
roof garden on top of the terraced massing creates a fifth façade,
visible from nearby high-rises, and a programmed public space for
users.

• http://link-arc.com/
• http://link-arc.com/project/cuizhu-foreign-language-school/
Street viewpoint
Photo credit: Bai Yu

dw • Issue 302 81