Description

The plan and overall form of this school building is deceptively simple. It comprises a two-storey linear block surrounded by a high wall rendered in smooth white stucco. Classrooms are large yet basic, each with its own pupil toilets, a pair of sinks and always with windows orientated towards the west. Internal circulation is via a single 1.4 metre wide corridor on the south courtyard side. There is a general office at one end of the corridor with the entrance and a play hall at the other end, the only element which breaks the linearity of the classroom block.

The way in which this basic composition has been articulated is, however, very sophisticated. The architecture strikes a subtle balance between, on the one hand, the idea of the neutral canvas, and on the other, an inspiring totally modern signature building. Internally, care has been taken to ensure that the building does not dominate the users. All the walls of the classrooms and virtually every surface of the external play areas are intended to act as a backdrop to the artistic endeavours of the children. The architects have not been precious about their building, indeed children are encouraged to assert their creativity with their own work covering virtually every surface. The result is an architecture of colour and simple elemental form which is intended to stimulate young minds without overwhelming them. It is both exuberant and controlled, a suitable place in which children can play and learn and where users can have a great deal of control over their environment. As this is an environmentally conscious design, only wood from managed renewable sources was specified as the primary material for internal cladding and doors in circulation areas and classrooms. Natural ventilation is used as much as possible and all air conditioning equipment is CFC-free.

In addition the client required that the building be flexible enough for three different uses, either as a primary school, a kindergarten or as a childcare centre. In the end it is a combination of all. Each of these uses requires different facilities to be provided, therefore the building has been designed as an infinitely flexible structure with no load bearing internal partitions. A particularly important consideration was the scale of children. Every stair has a dual-height handrail for big and small users, and low level windows provide views out for the smallest child. Every door has a high and low vision panel so that they can see and be seen when moving around the building. Hinge guards cover dangerous door openings. Ultimately the whole structure is intimate and small in scale, without ever being patronising to its users. Externally the building asserts itself within its somewhat bland setting. The school announces itself with quirky graphics inscribed on the street wall, which promise an experience of education which will be fun and creative. All the windows on the busy Waterloo Road elevation are small, in order to mitigate against traffic noise. The building is an attractive, functional and economical structure which has become a landmark statement about the primacy of education and the importance of young children within this new community in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.

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Originally published in: Mark Dudek, Schools and Kindergartens: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2015.