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Architects: ONENESS STUDIO
- Area: 19870 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Lianbi Luo
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Lead Architects: Siyang Zheng , Wei Wei
Text description provided by the architects. Train stations are the starting points of journeys in a city. In Xiamen Island, the train station area serves as a junction between the natural mountainous terrain and the bustling urban area. Jinbang Elementary School is situated on the eastern side of Xiamen Station, near the mountains.
Site's covering. The site once housed grain warehouses and a large parking lot. After the formation of new city roads, the space became narrow and irregular, and the ground was completely hardened due to functional needs. To repair the scars on the land and address the uncomfortable elevation differences on the site, the design team sought a harmonious and seamless connection between nature and the city. They looked for a way to enhance the integration of the mountain and the city, and to sensibly incorporate the functional use of the school. The continuity of Dongping Mountain into the city was preserved, aligning with the irregular east-west orientation of the site, leaning against the mountain and adjacent to the road, following the natural flow.
The shape of the mountain. Across from Jinbang Square, lush green barriers and continuous mountainous terrain create a picturesque scene. The design team opted for a relatively intensive morphological strategy, adapting to the natural contours of the mountain and creating staggered connections. They transformed the steep side of the mountain hollow into a rhythmic terraced structure, with sports facilities extending like a spread-out cityscape against the mountain, using long and low volumes to shield and extend the gentle trend of the terrain. The mountain range serves as the backdrop, embracing the campus. The architectural masses are appropriately sized, with some rhythmically elevated and others naturally stretching out, collectively shaping a new urban form on the east side of Jinbang Road. From top to bottom, it showcases a harmonious tableau of nature, people, and the city actively integrating.
The wind blowing through the courtyard. The new campus buildings are situated in a clustered form within the mountain hollow, with openings around each courtyard facilitating clear sightlines and convenient connections. The mountain valley wind smoothly ascends the slope, gently brushing through the greenery, passing through courtyards and corridors, and rising through atriums. This convective process improves the adverse effects of the local hot and humid climate during the spring and summer seasons, guiding fresh forest air into the campus and creating a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere both inside and outside the classrooms. The courtyard spaces offer students various options for informal communication during their leisure time. Students can move freely at different elevations, enjoying the pleasures of the mountainous and courtyard landscapes regardless of wind or rain.
A terrace integrated with nature. The buildings are erected on multiple terraces, interconnected to form a campus that serves as a panoramic platform with excellent accessibility. Located on the western side of the mountain facing the city, the roofs of various elevations create platforms suitable for both distant views and mutual observation. People on Jinbang Road can look at the school from the green mountain next to the train station. The staggered and stacked terraces and roofs shape multiple circulating paths. One can imagine children freely running out of classrooms during breaks, going to platforms at different heights to gaze out, with mountains on one side and the city on the other.
