Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Deep eaves with gardens. Image © Rui Wu

XI'AN GAOXIN NO.6 HIGH SCHOOL

Wall Architects of XAUAT

CATEGORY
Library

LOCATION
Xi'an, China

AREA
300 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Rui Wu, Maozhen Wang, Yijia Liu, Chen Wang, Shaochong Li

YEAR
2021

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Rui Wu, Maozhen Wang, Shaochong Li

CO ARCHITECT
Xinghui Li

DESIGN TEAM
Xiaohan Yang, Yijia Liu, Ziyong Mou, Mingjie Guo, Chen Wang, Yihang Hu

ENGINEERING
Zhen Bian

CONSULTANTS
Nan Ji, Kaili Wang

THE CLIENT
Xi'an Gaoxin No.6 High School,Samsung China Semiconductor Co.,Ltd.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Xi 'an Zhouzheng Industrial Co.LTD

Origin. Xi'an Gaoxin No.6 High School is located in the east of Huyi District about 8 kilometers, which is a rural ordinary high school with a quiet environment.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
From big to small physical experience. Image © Maozhen Wang
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
The poetry of reading under the Eaves. Image © Yijia Liu

This school was founded in 1956, then put under the unified management of Gaoxin Educational Bureau in 2018, which is a boarding school with 32 classes and 1,500 students.

In 2020, Samsung donated money to Shaanxi Provincial Youth Development Foundation to help build the first campus library of Shaanxi Hope Project in this school.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Transparent inside and outside space. Image © Yijia Liu
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
The space under the eaves. Image © Yijia Liu

Meanwhile, Shaanxi Provincial Library donated 15,000 high-quality books and set up a free digital resource service station.

Shape the place. The school carefully selected a garden on the west side of the campus square for this project, hoping to create a library in harmony with the surrounding environment.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Blurring inside and out. Image © Shaochong Li
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
A spiritual second floor space. Image © Chen Wang

Firstly, the building is compressed into a rectangular volume that is close to the square, which defines a pleasant garden with a stand on the west side.

Secondly, the volume and the teaching buildings on the north and south sides of the east square together enclose a stable square and give the collective activities of "positive" characteristic.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
A quiet reading experience in second floor. Image © Chen Wang
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
The first floor is integrated with the outdoor space. Image © Shaochong Li

So, the "Big sloping roof" creates two sides of the form, which slowly descends to the west to create a 2.4m high "small scale"space under the eaves, we call it a "sittable facade".

The west space of 4.2-meter depth under the eaves forms a "semi-outdoor reading space" facing the garden, which can be used by teachers and students at any time.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
An enveloping second floor space. Image © Chen Wang
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Structural tension. Image © Yijia Liu

Open and quiet. The structural layer of the "big roof" and space below show two different atmospheres of openness and quiet: On the first floor, a transparent glass interface is adopted to maximize the interaction with the environment, in addition to the frame columns and low bookcases (0.75m high) that enclose the space; The second floor creates a quiet reading experience with the help of "big roof", and the partially exposed structural beams create the tension of the space.

Epilogue. This low-cost campus library was built and put into use in just two months with the efforts of all parties, and it was loved by the teachers and students.

Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Architecture, window openings, roof and spatial variations. Image © Shaochong Li
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Research area. Image © Shaochong Li

Our greatest wish is to build more libraries to help rural children enjoy better public resources.....


Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
A facade where you can sit. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
A bird's eye view to the north. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Big roof concept. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
A bird's eye view from the northeast. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT


Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
First floor interior model photo. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Second floor interior model photo. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT


Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Site location. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Large and small courtyard. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT


Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Site plan. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Second floor plan. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT


Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Section. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Section. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT
Xi’an Gaoxin No.6 High School
Section. Image Courtesy of Wall Architects of XAUAT