MAD, led by Ma Yansong, recently unveiled its design for a courtyard kindergarten in Beijing. MAD built a floating roof around a courtyard, connecting it to the surrounding modern buildings, showing a harmonious coexistence of multiple layers of urban history.

MAD led by Ma Yansong, recently unveiled its design for a courtyard kindergarten in Beijing. MAD built a floating roof around a courtyard, connecting it to the surrounding modern buildings, showing a harmonious coexistence of multiple layers of urban history.

Ma Yansong: "There is an old Beijing saying that describes a naughty child, 'If you don't punish him for three days, he will go up to the roof and tear off the tiles.' The roof is full of magic for children. In the courtyard space, the roof is like a new land, a symbol of freedom and freedom."

The "floating roof" is horizontally spread out in a low and gentle posture, maximizing the transformation of the limited space between different buildings into a platform for outdoor sports and activities. The second floor is a vast and colorful outdoor platform, which is the main place for children to exercise outdoors and interact and play after school. The southwest side of the platform is like a series of "hills" and "plains" interlaced with each other, with undulating terrain.

Under the floating roof are open-plan teaching spaces, libraries, small theaters, indoor sports fields, etc., which will be the daily education space for 400 children aged 2-5. The flowing spatial layout provides a free and inclusive spatial atmosphere; the new space is adjacent to the quadrangle, and the old and new alternate, so that children can get close to and contact history at any time, helping them to deepen their understanding of the time dimension and history. The new part is designed around three ancient trees. The new courtyard echoes the courtyard space of the quadrangle, providing outdoor extension and lighting and ventilation for the teaching space.

Several seemingly unrelated and even contradictory architectural elements from certain historical periods can not only coexist harmoniously while maintaining their own authenticity, but also interact with each other to create a new openness and richness, which enables children to have an objective and real understanding of the environment they live in. The understanding of nature and history can bring a sense of inclusiveness to new places and shape the unique consensus and value of the community.

Ma Yansong said: "My ideal kindergarten should not be a theme park or a pet store. First of all, it should be objective and real, and then it should also go beyond reality and provide some space for the unknown and imagination."

The "Siheyuan Kindergarten" has now started construction and is expected to be completed and put into use in the fall of 2019.

Siheyuan Kindergarten
Beijing, China
2017-2019

Site area: 9,275 square meters
Building area: 10,778 square meters

Architects in charge: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Hayano Yosuke
Design team: He Wei, Fu Xiaoyi, Xiao Ying, Chen Hongbin, Yin Jianfeng, Zhang Long, Zhao Meng, Kazushi Miyamoto, Dmitry Seregin, Ma Yue, Huang Jinkun, Ben Yuqiang, Chen Luman

Owner: Lecheng Group Co., Ltd.
Grade A Design Institute: China Academy of Building Research
Interior design: MAD, Mushroom Cloud Design Studio
Logo design: 2X4 Beijing
Landscape design: Yilan (Beijing) Planning and Design Co., Ltd.
Curtain wall construction: Beijing Jianghe Curtain Wall System Engineering Co., Ltd.
Digital media support: SAN
*Model photography: CreatAR Images