This project is a primary school with dormitory and kindergarten, a reconstruction project after earthquake damage in Sichuan Province.
The destination of our Architects is "localization of modern architecture" and " modernization of local architecture". We expect to show the spirit of Time.
Spirit of Time means the abstracted representation of the local culture. the court, local material, familiar local colors and constructional details, these elements can make man feel the personality and characteristic of Sichuan Province. Especially the "Court", as a traditional element , can be totally represented in modern buildings.
Spirit of Time also means sustainability and scientificalness. The use of renewable resource and materials and local construction materials should be taken as our first priority.
Responding to the local climate: The green courtyard layout of school buildings are effective passive strategy to resist the burning hot summer in Sichuan. Those are based on the pre- thermotechnical testing and surveying of traditional buildings.
Many openings are set in teaching buildings of primary school to improve the natural ventilation of courtyard. Those openings appear in the first floor of kindergarten and short the passageway at the same time. the buildings of dormitories and kindergarten are lined up to get the sunlight as much as possible, which is especially important in cloudy Sichuan. the single exterior corridor layout shorten the depth of buildings and favors the lighting for classrooms. Some special rooms are skylighted to improve the illumination and entertaining.
During design work, the simulations of wind and luminous environment help us to confirm our design.
The color samples of painted wall draws the yellow and green colors from the local rape flower field.
The construction details of roof gable in Chinese-style tiles draw on the experience of traditional craft, at the same time they are improved with modern technology. The located ratten weaving handicraft are used in some building elements, such as stair banisters and balcony balustrade. Samples were made in construction site to improve the construction details and technology for those handicraft art. The use of local materials and handicrafts saved the time and cost of logistics and materials, which were valuable in the reconstruction period after the earthquake.