-The Warmth of Design as a Blessing to Children

Led by Principal Li Lie, the Ping’anli Campus of Beijing Zhengze School, invested and undertaken by the Financial Street Education Company, is upgraded from the nearly century-old Yanjing Paper Mill.

01/ Challenges

From an Old Paper Mill to a Modern High School

In Beijing, most of the first-class primary and secondary schools are concentrated in the old urban areas of the city center: on the one hand, they have a long history; on the other hand, they have always been staffed by top-notch teachers. Among them is Ping’anli Campus of Beijing Zhengze School. As the high-density buildings in these areas and the constraints of urban planning make it difficult to expand the area or change the exterior design of the original structure, the construction requires the maximized use of every inch of the land to meet the diversified needs of teaching.

02/ History

The site used to house the Yanjing Paper Mill, which was founded in 1933 with the support of General Zhang Xueliang. Prior to the construction of the school, it had been abandoned for many years. Thanks to the team led by Principal Li Lie, the mill, with its original structure preserved and actual circumstance considered, was transformed into a modern and international “Mysterious School”. The space, expressing the vision and thoughtfulness of a renowned educator in every detail, had Principal Li herself involved in the design and construction.

03/ Rebirth

Focusing on the Atria

Prior to the transformation into a teaching space, the comprehensive building used to be a paper mill and a wet market. The cultural legacy of the preserved historic district is perfectly aligned with the prestige of Beijing Zhengze School.

The transformation focuses on two large atria: the entrance atrium is more like an open library, with double shelves inspired by the Oxford Library over 600 years ago, and the atrium in the Lecture Square connects the upper and lower floors, which not only expands the teaching space, but also allows for public speeches. Skylight from the ceiling add dynamism and light to the whole structure, and the natural connection of the upper and lower floors presents a smooth interior space.

Silicon Valley of Beijing Zhengze School

The craft classroom is designed to create an open, factory-like space to encourage children to explore the unknown world with their own hands.

Lecture Hall

Movable steel structures are erected in the warehouse, turning it into a 300-seat lecture theater. This functional space, following the principles of acoustics design, features suspended acoustic panels to deliver sound experience almost identical to each student. In addition, the sound-absorbing holes on the walls, with special water-wave design, intend to echo the spirit of the Beijing Zhengze School: the Chinese character “ze” in the name stands for “water”.

Gymnasium

The warehouse-turned gymnasium accommodates to its maximum capacity one standard basketball court and two badminton courts. The use of sound absorption and anti-collision materials reduces echoes and the risk of collision injuries resulting from the compact buffer zone.

Classrooms&Laboratory

The former bungalow-style factory building is converted into a biology classroom with full skylight, allowing children to observe objects and learn biology in an environment that can best reveal the true color.

The design of the classrooms aims to “allow students to carry out a variety of active and independent learning activities with an emphasis on learning over teaching”. The installment of windows enables a combination of skylights and lamps to provide perfect lighting, which is rarely seen in a high-density urban area.

04/ Design Value

Delivering the Warmth of Education

Despite the constraints on the size of teaching spaces in the old urban area, the inherent cultural legacy left over by the historic buildings gives the school a literary temperament, which is a blessing to the children. Every corner of the renovated school is imbued with the warmth of education. In line with the teaching philosophy and cultural substance of Beijing Zhengze School, the concentrated, flexible, and comprehensive space that advocates openness and sharing delivers the unique charm of this “Mysterious School” in a subtle way.

Project Name: Beijing Zhengze School (Ping’anli Campus)

Chief Design Consultant: Shi Hua & WIT

Space Strategy & Interior Design: Shi Hua and WIT Design & Research

Architectural & Structure Design: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (Wang Dawei and his Team)

Mechatronics Design: Beijing Aofu Technology Company

Lighting Design Consultant: Tungsten Studio

Acoustics Consultant: Luo Zehong

Photography: A Thousand Degree Visual

Construction Area: 10,000㎡