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Rockery for play

An educational center in Beijing asked Archstudio to design a multifunctional space with music, dance, cooking and arts&crafts classes, marked by fluid walls and playful rooms.

The educational space designed by Archstudio for Poly Wedo Art Educational Institution is located on the second floor of a building in Beijing. This institution mainly teaches children music, dance, tea, cooking, and craft courses, so the space design needs to provide appropriate multifunctional classrooms. Inspired by rockery artificial hills in Chinese traditional garden, the design creates multiple ranges of “artificial hills” that allow children to happily play here.

Img.1 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.2 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.3 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.4 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.5 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.6 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.7 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.8 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.9 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.10 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.11 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.12 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.13 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.14 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.15 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.16 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

A winding corridor is defined by continuous curved walls, far from traditional straight corridors, that stimulates the children’s desire to explore. Curved walls differentiate musical classroom, reception area, cooking area, tea classroom, play area and so on. Children will associate some rooms as dark closed valleys, others as transparent hills, with playful holes on the walls that can hold up to two children for play. The musical classroom is sealed by curved glass to ensure sound insulation, while maintaining an open teaching environment. The tea classroom and the cooking area are separated by reverse-arch walls, which are also tools for children to stride, rest, and play.

Img.17 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

The craft classroom is at the corner of the corridor, and children can sit around a central tree to do handwork. Nine private piano classrooms are arranged on both sides of the corridor, each classroom is designed as a small cave, which ensures acoustic quality. Wood finishes are the major feature of the common spaces with some walls made of mirrored stainless steel. At the end of the corridor there is dance classroom, which is positioned as an “exterior space” in contrast with the general wood color space. The original structural pipelines of the building are all exposed, the gray glued flooring on the ground raised beside the window as a seating area. Transparent floor glass, floor dance mirror and the outdoor trees are all visually connected.

Img.18 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.19 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Img.20 Archstudio, Rockery for Play, Beijing, 2017

Archstudio, Rockery for Play, floor plan before intervention

Archstudio, Rockery for Play, floor plan after intervention

Archstudio, Rockery for Play, axonometry

Rockery for play, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Program: educational space
Archtiects: Archstudio
Team: Han Wen-Qiang, Song Hui-Zhong, Li Yun-Tao
Client: Poly WeDo Art Education
Area: 770 sqm
Completion: 2017

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Rockery for play

An educational center in Beijing asked Archstudio to design a multifunctional space with music, dance, cooking and arts&crafts classes, marked by fluid walls and playful rooms.

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