Mixing Montessori education and architecture
Year: 2017
Area: 8000 m²
Location: Beijing, China
ArkAtects:
· Michele Lanari
· 胡译尹 Yiyi
· Giada Leo
· Gregorio Soravito
· 王天岳 Tony
Beijing Peninsula Kindergarten is our second cooperation project with Peninsula Education Group.
Our designers aim to create a more suitable space and safe environment for the growth of Chinese children, allowing them to play and learn freely and happily.
The original building was an open-plan office, with its entire space being divided into 4 floors. Our first mission is to make over the space according to kids’ physical proportion.
A big blue staircase connects every floor, as if it were a canal from the old times. The arrangement of those houses and staircase presents an image of a village built along the river, bringing the kids closer with nature. Like a harmonious village, the Montessori Kindergarten serves as a community where children and adults engage in interacting and learning and enjoy the experience.
The design of the classroom resembles a simple house. The library is transformed into an open space with a tree planted in the center, just like the main square of a rural town. Corridors become a multifunctional open space where kids move around freely and play with others, and it is easy for teachers to supervise at the same time. Some corridors are portrayed as fields for the children to experience seasonal changes and roam around.
