THE CASTLE GARDEN

Brutalism used to prosper after World War II. Contrary to the mechanical aesthetics advocated by early modernism, Brutalism architects created a kind of architecture with strong monumentality and sense of ritual by using the clarity of geometrical form , the legibility of plan, the simplicity of material and the clear exhibition of structure. It shows strong vitality of architecture itself.

Nowadays, modular and replicated cities tend to homogenize our lives, which split the sense of ritual from our daily life little by little. Maybe it’s time for us to reawaken Brutalism again, and new Brutalism is no longer a monument that separate from the daily life and celebrate of power and heroism, but a place and home that integrates into daily life and brings a sense of ritual into  our life.

About educational space, it often reminds us of the primitive educational scenery. Teacher stands under the tree and children are free to study and play under the shade of trees. As a result, continuous roofs create shelter and protection, and children shuttling through multiple levels of courtyard became the original imagination of this project.

About the layout,due to the limited height(6m) of the site, this project have to develop underground space to meet multiple demands. Under the encirclement of the two volumes, a courtyard is formed inside the kindergarten, in this way the lighting problem of the underground space is solved by creating courtyards at different heights. The different scales of inside and outside create a kind of duality of this kindergarten. The external facade like a humble monument, standing on the side of the square and shielding external interference, while inside the kindergarten, a variety of courtyards and meandering paths blur the relationship between indoor and outdoor, Form a “castle garden” for children to study and play. Children shuttling through light and shadow, indoors and outdoors.

About the internal organization, the kindergarten is mainly composed of two parts: the L-shaped teaching building includes classrooms and other teaching facilities, another separate volume is used as the auditorium. and the B2 floor(children’s play space,library,restaurant) integrates the two parts together. In the interior of the teaching building, we put a service strip, which clearly delineates the boundaries between the formal learning space and the casual play space, and forms an independent service space and private space inside.

Contemporary kindergartens are always labeled with complex interior decoration, various colors and so on. For us, we imagine such a poetic scenery--- Children play with the transformation of light and shadow, shuttling between indoor and outdoor, perhaps at their age, the exploration of space and the understanding of nature is the really interesting topic. The geometric order of the continuous roof and pure thick concrete construct the sense of ritual of this kindergarten, while the changing scale and the infiltration of the courtyard dispel the "non-daily monumentality" and construct a peaceful and poetic life.