福海街道立新湖九年一贯制学校新建工程Lixinhu Nine-Year School, Fuhai

How should a new campus relate to the industrial district, residential neighbourhoods and Lixin Lake around it?

Our response is “Three Interfaces: An Urban Academy.” We want the campus to respond sensitively to its setting and sit comfortably within the city. The complexity of its surroundings offers a starting point for a design language that creates several open, welcoming urban edges.

Shared cultural and sports facilities occupy the eastern side, where they can be opened to local residents. The internal teaching areas sit to the west, within the landscape extending from Lixin Lake. Living and support facilities line the urban green space at the northeast corner. Classrooms are arranged in four teaching buildings with north- and south-facing elevations: the junior secondary school to the north and three primary school buildings to the south, with separate entrances possible along Shuiku North Road. The eastern sports field is raised by one level, with a gymnasium and library beneath it.

Strategy 1 — Terraced academies

The internal teaching areas enclose courtyards to establish a quiet academic setting. Stepping down towards the south, these courts admit air and sunlight, while planting brings a sense of nature into the campus. Themed spatial elements give each of the three academies its own identity.

Strategy 2 — Urban arcades

On the north side of the teaching buildings, the ground level is open and the boundary wall is set back to provide a covered arcade along the urban green space. It offers parents a place to wait and residents a place to rest. Beneath the projecting edge of the eastern sports field, a sheltered route open to the neighbourhood connects the streets to the north and south.

Strategy 3 — An internal campus street

A T-shaped internal street separates the teaching areas from the shared cultural and sports facilities. It can open to the public at designated times, linking the northern urban green space, Fuqiao Middle School’s sports field to the south and the residential neighbourhood to the east. Together they form a continuous network of public amenities. The street also serves as a gallery for campus culture.

Strategy 4 — Active green slopes

The roofs slope southwards with the stepped academies, drawing greenery into the campus from the direction of Lixin Lake. Running routes connected to the sports field, growing plots and gardens occupy the roofs. They provide varied outdoor learning spaces while contributing to a low-carbon, water-sensitive urban environment.