The pre-primary extension occupies 4,000 square feet of land within the school campus and features a sunken courtyard that mimics the region’s natural landscape.This courtyard can be transformed into a playground,classroom,and circular amphitheater according to functional needs. With its unique design form and unconventional structure,the project seamlessly integrates play and learning spaces, blurring the boundaries between the two and providing children with an interesting and engaging learning environment.

Unlike typical “box-shaped”buildings, the design layout of this project envisions classrooms as fluid,interconnected spaces that promote free movement and interaction. Full-height glass panels and skylights make the extension a fluid and well-lit space. Additionally,the interesting wavy roof,inspired by natural forms like waves or hills,takes the concept of “architecture as a form of landscape”to the extreme,creating the impression that”architecture itself is a form of landscape.”

Distinguishing itself from traditional school buildings that primarily feature bright and vibrant colors,the design of this project focuses on structure.The roof,covered with grass,sits on a barrier-free structural space without any internal supports or partitions.It’s worth noting that the structural core of the roof was built on-site using prefabricated elements and simple construction techniques,which is another key element of the project design.The use of prefabricated materials makes the assembly process simple and efficient.

The project maintains the school’s core value of “Providing a non-traditional standard of education” and creates a unique, unconventional, and interesting structure. This project case will also serve as a pioneer in demonstrating the power of architecture in shaping the design of future educational spaces.

【Team Introduction】

andblack design studio is an interdisciplinary design studio working in the field of architecture, interiors, art installations, and furniture design to deliver solutions at all scales. The studio focuses on the use of parametric tools and physical modeling as the primary way to evolve design. Andblack’s philosophy lies in designing the process that leads to the”solution”. It is their utmost belief that the design process should be robust enough to inform all stages of design; from concept to detail design.

The project serves as a catalyst for community public life and becoming a communal space that embodies the core spirit and values of the community."Urban Forest" - a series of tree-like timber structures support the roof covered with solar photovoltaic panels that span the entire building to form an “artificial forest”, creating a public space for all-weather outdoor activities."Outdoor Amphitheater” is established by a large-stepped terrace roof that blends the building seamlessly with the landscape, becoming a social hub that fosters effective community interaction."Community Lounge" on the ground floor is equipped with a fireplace and bar area to truly become the center stage for public activities.Applying the sustainable design strategies of "carbon neutrality" to achieve the goal of “net-zero carbon emissions” throughout the building lifecycle."Energy Mountain" - The roof truss carrying solar panels undulates with the building form, which total installed capacity of the photovoltaic system provides enough power to meet the building's annual energy consumption needs."Prefabricated Construction" minimizes environmental impact during on-site assembly to achieve "carbon neutrality" "Vertical Sunshade Wood Louvers" are used on the building facade for sunshade, striking a balance between maximize shading effectiveness and minimizing impact on natural lighting and winter solar gain."Microclimate-Regulated Atrium" enhances natural lighting while incorporating high-performance skylight systems to improve the microclimate.

apm Gallery is a building renovation project in Haikou GAOXINGLI, a commercial block in China. It has been transformed into an art gallery, which infuses contemporary art and drives vitality into the block. The two-storey structure is wrapped by undulating corten steel, unfolding across a sequence of corridors and courtyards. Ascending from the corridors, three volumes gracefully stack, each overhanging to allow the new facade to bypass the eaves of the original building. Inside, the black gallery and the white gallery contrast with each other, providing unique exhibition experience for visitors.

As a “living memorial” for President John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts takes an active position among the great presidential monuments in Washington, D.C. Through public events and stimulating art, the Kennedy Center offers a place where the community can engage and interact with artists across the full spectrum of the creative process. The REACH expansion, designed by Steven Holl Architects, adds much-needed rehearsal, education, and a range of flexible indoor and outdoor spaces to allow the Kennedy Center to continue to play a leadership role in providing artistic, cultural, and enrichment opportunities.

The design for The REACH merges architecture with the landscape to expand the dimensions of a living memorial. The landscape design includes a narrative reflection on the life of President Kennedy: a grove of 35 gingko trees, which will drop their golden autumn leaves in late November, acknowledges John F. Kennedy’s position as the 35th President of the United States; and a reflecting pool and mahogany landscape deck are built in the same dimensions and mahogany boards of Kennedy’s WWII boat, the PT109.

The program for The Lewis Arts Complex includes a theatre and dance building, an arts building, and a music building with instrumental rehearsal and practice rooms. All three buildings are integrated in a forum below ground. The project aims to create a new campus gateway; shaping campus space while maximizing porosity and movement from all sides.

Overlook views into the dance and theatre practice spaces and the orchestral rehearsal space are aimed at provoking curiosity and interaction. As an open public invitation, this gateway space aims to connect the local community to the University.

Each of the three buildings’ interiors is developed uniquely.

The Wallace Theater and Dance Building is developed according to the idea of a “thing within a thing”. Within the overall concrete frame, the black-box theatre is comprised of steel, while the dance theatres are foamed aluminum, white washed wood and board formed concrete. A “dancing stair” connects all levels.

The Arts Building is developed with an embedded concept by its concrete and stone tower connecting to Princeton’s historic Blair Arch.

The Music Building is developed according to an idea of “suspension”. Above the large orchestral rehearsal room individual practice rooms are suspended on steel rods. Acoustically separate, these individual wooden chambers have a resonant quality.

The site in the center of London is adjacent to the large courtyard of St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Founded in Smithfield in the 12th century, the hospital is the oldest in London and was founded at the same time as the St Bartholomew the Great Church in 1123. Rahere founded the church and hospital “for the restoration of poor men.” Layers of history characterize this unique site, connecting deeply to the Medieval culture of London.

While most all of the realized Maggie’s Centres have been horizontal buildings, the centre at St Bartholomew’s is more vertical, sitting on the historically charged site. It replaces a pragmatic 1960s brick structure adjacent to a 17th century stone structure by James Gibbs, holding the “Great Hall” and the famous Hogarth staircase.

The building was envisioned as a “vessel within a vessel within a vessel.” The structure is a branching concrete frame, the inner layer is perforated bamboo and the outer layer is matte white glass with colored glass fragments recalling “neume notation” of Medieval music of the 13th century. The word neume originates from the Greek pnevma, which means ‘vital force.’ It suggests a ‘breath of life’ that fills oneself with inspiration like a stream of air, the blowing of the wind. The outer glass layer is organized in horizontal bands like a musical staff while the concrete structure branches like the hand.

The three story centre has an open curved staircase integral to the concrete frame with open spaces vertically lined in perforated bamboo. The glass facade geometry, like a musical “staff” is in horizontal strips 90 cm wide, which follow the geometry of the main stair along the north facade, while lifting up with clear glass facing the main square, marking the main front entry. There is a second entry on the west opening to the extended garden of the adjacent church.

The building tops out in a public roof garden with flowering trees open to a large room for yoga, Tai Chi, meetings etc. The interior character of this building will be shaped by colored light washing the floors and walls, changing by the time of day and season. Interior lighting is organized to allow the colored lenses together with the translucent white glass of the facade to present a new, joyful, glowing presence on this corner of the great square of the Barts Hospital.

The new museum architecture of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building is characterized by porosity, opening the ground floor at all elevations. Seven gardens slice the perimeter, marking points of entry and punctuating the elevations. The largest garden court, at the corner of Bissonnet and Main Street, marks a central entry point on the new campus. When standing in the great new entrance lobby of the Kinder Building, one can see gardens in four directions and feel the inviting energy of a new sense of openness to the community.

The new ground level is an activated social space open to the community with longer hours than the two gallery floors above. A fine restaurant opens to the Cullen Sculpture Garden, a café to Bissonnet, and galleries open to Main Street. Special performances might take place in the Brown Foundation Plaza and Glassell rooftop garden.

The Texas sky opens 180°overhead above a luminous canopy covering the new building. Concave curves, imagined from cloud circles, push down on the roof geometry, allowing natural light to slip in with precise measure and quality, perfect for top-lit galleries. The undersides of the curved ceiling become light reflectors, catching and sliding the light across each unique gallery experience. These curved slices of light shape the gallery spaces organically in a unique way related to the organic qualities of the lush vegetation and water characterizing the new campus. Rather than mechanical and repetitive, the light is organic and flowing echoing the movement of the galleries.

Organized horizontally on two levels, all galleries have natural light and are flexible with open flow. The gallery rooms of ideal proportions are centered around an open forum. The open flow through galleries is punctuated by views into the seven gardens with green trellises offering shade from glare. The central gallery forum provides generous spaces for the exhibition of art and vertical circulation to the upper floors. A stepped ramp and elevators link the lobby and gallery levels for direct access to all galleries.

Amorepacific Headquarters is a palace of beauty that is built on the foundation of collaboration and communication, carrying the grand dream of Amorepacific to step onto the world stage. It is both an open space facing the world stage and a space that retains the memory of the old headquarters building. This building embodies Amorepacific’s past, present and future.

The square and dignified shape of the Amorepacific Headquarters building has the power of presence. The square canvas-like structure symbolizes freedom and equality. Only in a free and equal communication space can creativity be unleashed. Amorepacific will create a space that encourages people who work here to think about the future and achieve innovative communication.

THE "SWEET CUBE": GOOD HOME UNDER THE TREE

About 4 kilometers west of the Yechekou exit of the Shenhai Expressway is Jinglingqiao Village, where an endangered small school has fallen into disuse, with only a dozen large, leafy trees to tell the story of its former glory.

The school needed to be redesigned, and we came up with a new functional concept:

1. village students need a brighter learning environment; 2. villagers need a training classroom; 3. the village needs a place for red and white events; 4. local intangible culture needs a window for presentation; 5. daily operation is important, and can be introduced into a little commercialization.

So this unique small school is both a school and a center for villagers' activities, with the color of operation, the original compulsory education expanded to lifelong learning and training.

The two-story building on the north side has independent classrooms on the first floor and a large open space with high windows on both floors, where children play like birds flying, and see the creek and old camphor trees through the long ribbon windows. Two classrooms on the second floor allow for long tables to be set up so that people can gather around a table to study.

The project faces Shuangnan Avenue in the west and Shuangliu International Airport in the east. The excellent geographical location and ecological conditions provide inherent conditions for the construction of a park city demonstration area with a new development concept.The design draws inspiration from the landscape of mountains and rivers in Chengdu, and puts forward the planning and design concept of "ecological city core, inclusive of all rivers". The "river" structure seamlessly connects four lands to create a diverse community. The continuous green landscape and landscaping buildings run through the north and south, constructing a public vitality axis in the center that is as flexible and winding as the Sichuan and Shu Rivers, forming the connection between the plots.The external division relies on the current urban road pattern as the basic skeleton, and the internal formation is mainly connected by the vehicle traffic system and the dynamic landscape axis. The tall office tower is placed on the west side of the plot, the multi-storey office groups are distributed around the vitality axis, and the commercial space is placed on the first floor. While ensuring the maximization of landscape resources, a three-dimensional multi-dimensional valley layout is created to make full use of the natural beauty of the plot. With resource and location advantages, create a talent gathering place with Sichuan and Sichuan characteristics, open, cooperative, inclusive and warm, perfectly integrate the concept of green ecology into the industrial park, and build a high-tech, open and high-quality park.