Longling School Renovation: Transforming an Urban Village Campus into a Future-Ready Learning Environment

The Renovation of Shenzhen Longgang District Longling School by Yijing Architectural Design marks a milestone in contemporary educational architecture, redefining how dense urban villages can host expansive, sustainable, and future-oriented learning environments. Located in the heart of Buji Subdistrict, this state-affiliated private school—originally founded in 1988 as Longling Primary School—has evolved into a vibrant nine-year institution shaped by innovation, heritage, and community impact.

Completed in 2023, the renovation expanded the school from 18,173 sqm to 68,237 sqm, enabling a dramatic transformation of spatial quality and academic capacity. Today, the campus accommodates 72 classes, integrating both primary and secondary levels within a unified architectural framework designed to inspire exploration, curiosity, and holistic growth.

Reinventing Education in a High-Density Urban Village

Set within Buji Urban Village, where land supply is scarce and building density is exceptionally high, the project faced the critical challenge of expanding capacity without disrupting ongoing school operations. To address this, the design strategically retained three existing structures—the Sino-English Experimental Building, the primary classroom building, and the cafeteria-dormitory complex—while demolishing six outdated blocks and introducing a bold new 12-story main teaching building.

This approach not only preserved continuity for students and faculty but also maximized spatial efficiency, effectively tripling built-up area on a constrained site. The result is a seamless integration between old and new, renewing the urban village context with contemporary educational vitality.

Designing a Contemporary Learning Landscape

Modern education prioritizes diverse learning methods, creativity, and personalized development—key insights that guided the design team. In response, the architects introduced two central design metaphors:

“Knowledge Hill”

A multidimensional learning terrain where students ascend through terraces, platforms, and connected corridors, symbolically and physically exploring new knowledge.

“Path to Wisdom”

A dynamic circulation route weaving through gardens, courtyards, activity nodes, and rooftop landscapes, encouraging self-directed discovery and curiosity-driven movement.

These elements transform daily school routines into meaningful spatial experiences, supporting the shift from passive learning to exploration-based education.

A New 12-Story Teaching Tower Anchored by Courtyard Life

The newly constructed main teaching building forms the academic heart of the campus. Designed around a central courtyard, it connects seamlessly to the preserved buildings via elevated covered walkways, ensuring sheltered movement across the campus. Within the building, 5-meter-wide educational corridors, vibrant atriums, and open breakout zones enrich social interaction and play.

Revitalizing Existing Structures with Purpose and Play

The retained classroom building received a transformative addition: the Delight Tower, a six-story structure containing:

• Climbing walls
• Art studios
• Vocational workshops
• A new two-story cafeteria

What was once a dispersed collection of small buildings is now a cohesive network of functional courtyards and active learning spaces.

The Longling Eye Art Gallery: Linking Old and New

At the center of the campus lies the iconic Longling Eye Art Gallery, a circular architectural landmark bridging the old and new dining halls. Serving both as a landscaped second-level walkway and as an internal gallery, the structure anchors the school’s cultural life. Water features, open terraces, and shaded viewing spaces create a serene yet inspiring environment.

From here, the “Path to Wisdom” radiates outward toward playgrounds, gardens, and communal spaces, reinforcing movement as a narrative of growth.

Community-Oriented Public Spaces

Recognizing the surrounding neighborhood’s shortage of public amenities, the architects introduced a double-decker cultural and sports complex at the community interface. Its bright orange-red running track, suspended by V-shaped concrete columns, creates a striking visual along the street.

This shared-use facility operates on staggered schedules, opening recreational opportunities to both students and local residents.

Vertical Library and Multifunctional Learning Spaces

One of the most distinctive additions is the vertical library, spanning floors 6 to 12 of the main tower. Designed with wave-like white walls that evoke an “ocean of knowledge,” the library features floor-specific entries that allow students to access reading spaces directly from each academic level.

Complementing this are specialized rooms that broaden the school’s educational reach:

• Minong Theater
• Black box studio
• Golf simulation room
• Shooting range
• Ceramics workshop

These spaces reflect the school’s commitment to diverse talent development and experiential learning.

Rooftop Ecological Classrooms and Urban Farms

The campus rooftop serves as a living laboratory. Circular ecological gardens link to mini urban farms, providing opportunities for hands-on agricultural education. Here, students cultivate plants, observe natural cycles, and understand sustainability through tactile experience—transforming the rooftop into an open-air classroom with no boundaries.

A Mountain of Knowledge for Future Generations

The renovation of Longling School is more than an expansion—it's a reimagining of what a school can be within the dense fabric of a Chinese urban village. With its layered terraces, connected courtyards, ecological roofs, and diverse learning environments, the campus embodies the idea of an “Urban Mountain of Knowledge.”

All photographs are works of Linlv