Brearley Architects & Urbanists

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School 

BAU Brearley Architects + Urbanists

COLLABORATORS
The Plan & Design Institute Of Jiangyin City

PROJECT TEAM
James Brearley, Luo Huaili, Jianghan, Mao Jie, Lu Jiawei, Zhen Lili. Landscape: Huang Fang, Lu Yinghong, Luo Li, Wang Chenlei, Chen Yanling

PHOTOGRAPHS
Shu He

AREA
56000 M²

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Wuxi, China

CATEGORY
Educational Architecture, Schools

Text description provided by architect.

The most pressing issue facing Chinese primary and secondary education is the unrelenting pressure on students.

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He

7am to 5pm classes six days a week is common. Of course academic achievement is paramount, but we must also ensure our children have the opportunity to enjoy being children.

Learning through play, relaxation, and chance encounters with others different to ourselves, also develops essential and worthy skills, knowledge, and creativity in our children.

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He

In support of a more balanced approach to work, rest, and play for children, this project places the non-academic activities at its heart. A large area of the site is dedicated to sports, music, dance, theatre, visual art and “other” programs.

Student life is encouraged to flow over, through, under, and around this new landscape of rest and play. Windows from the other school programs provide tantalizing views of this new landscape. Linear piazza or a ‘school main street’ provides a shaded informal place linking all students together.

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He

Flowing off this ‘school main street’ are four plazas, one for each of the student levels, years 1-3; 4-6; and 7-9. Together with other smaller linear plazas they form a network of informal landscaped spaces, with seating, shade, and most importantly, space for play.

The intersections of this network blur and merge to encourage the movement and mixing of different aged students. Yet another extensive network occurs above ground, on balconies, bridges and roofs, again with spaces for informal gathering and play.

Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He


Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
© SHU He


Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Rendering


Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Landscape Masterplan
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Site Plan


Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Section 1
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Section 2
Jiangyin Primary & Secondary School
Section 3

Brearley Architects & Urbanists
T +61 3 95372551
Brearley Architects & Urbanists
117-119 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria 3182, Australia