Qingshan Forest Junior High School Classroom by 317studio

Located in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, the Qingshan Forest Junior High School Classroom reimagines learning through space, nature, and collective experience. Designed by 317studio in 2025, this 87 m² interior transforms a conventional classroom into an immersive “forest clearing” inspired by Scouting culture and outdoor education.

A Classroom Inspired by the Campfire

At the heart of the design lies a powerful metaphor: the communal campfire. Traditionally, Scouting activities revolve around gathering, sharing, and learning together. Translating this ritual into architecture, the designers organized the space around a central gathering zone that functions as both symbolic and practical core.

Instead of rows of desks facing a blackboard, the classroom promotes circular interaction. Students assemble around the center, encouraging dialogue, teamwork, and mutual learning. This shift reflects a move away from one-directional teaching toward participatory education.

Responding to Climate and Context

New Taipei City’s frequent rainfall often limits outdoor activities such as tent pitching, survival training, and team-building exercises. As a result, Scouting programs are regularly forced indoors.

Existing classrooms, however, lacked flexibility, storage, and spatial adaptability. They were unable to support experiential learning. The Qingshan Forest Classroom responds to this challenge by recreating the atmosphere of the outdoors within an enclosed environment, allowing students to practice Scouting values regardless of weather conditions.

Spatial Organization: A Forest in Plan

The interior layout is conceived as a miniature forest ecosystem:

• Central Clearing: The main gathering and activity zone.
• Peripheral “Trees”: Storage units, service areas, and functional zones arranged around the perimeter.
• Open Sightlines: Visual transparency ensures continuous connection between all areas.

This arrangement balances openness and structure. Students remain visually and socially connected, reinforcing a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

The Rope Canopy: Architecture as Symbol

One of the project’s most distinctive features is the continuous rope system woven into the wooden ceiling framework. This installation performs multiple roles:

• Symbolic: Evokes tents, knots, and survival skills central to Scouting.
• Spatial: Frames the central area and guides movement.
• Cultural: Represents unity, cooperation, and inclusiveness.

By embedding Scouting techniques directly into the architecture, the designers turn everyday movement through space into a subtle learning experience.

Materiality and Craft: Learning Through Making

Natural materials dominate the interior palette, especially warm-toned wood. Beams, ceilings, furniture, and wall elements create a tactile, sensory-rich environment that contrasts sharply with typical institutional classrooms.

Nature is further integrated through acrylic plant specimens embedded in walls and ceilings. These elements were handcrafted by students, giving them direct authorship over their learning environment. This participatory approach strengthens emotional attachment and fosters responsibility toward shared spaces.

Furniture and Flexibility

Furniture is carefully selected and arranged to support multiple modes of learning:

• Group discussions
• Skill demonstrations
• Club meetings
• Collaborative workshops
• Inter-school exchanges

Tables and chairs are movable, allowing rapid reconfiguration. Storage systems accommodate camping gear, ropes, tools, and teaching materials, eliminating clutter and maximizing usable space.

Lighting and Atmosphere

Lighting design plays a crucial role in shaping mood. Soft, warm illumination complements the wooden surfaces, reinforcing the forest-like ambience. Artificial lighting mimics natural daylight patterns, ensuring visual comfort while sustaining the illusion of an outdoor setting.

Together with material textures and spatial layering, lighting transforms the classroom into a calm yet stimulating environment.

Educational Impact: Space as Teacher

More than an architectural intervention, the Qingshan Forest Classroom functions as an educational tool. It teaches values through spatial experience:

• Cooperation through circular layouts
• Respect for nature through material choices
• Responsibility through student-made elements
• Leadership through shared spaces

Learning happens not only through instruction but also through interaction with the environment itself.

A Model for Future Educational Interiors

This project demonstrates how small-scale interiors can generate profound pedagogical impact. By combining narrative design, cultural context, and participatory making, 317studio offers a replicable model for experiential education spaces.

In an era where flexibility, wellbeing, and engagement are increasingly vital, the Qingshan Forest Junior High School Classroom stands as an exemplary fusion of architecture and learning philosophy.

All the Photographs are works of YuChen Chao Photography