YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten

An 18th-century courtyard building in Beijing has transformed into the YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten. The originally constructed in 1725 courtyard building is wrapped with a multi-layered urban play space while preserving the cultural heritage site. The project shows how contradictory elements of different historical periods can coexist harmoniously while maintaining their authenticity and individuality.

A Multi-layered Playful Urban Space

The kindergarten is situated next to a senior citizens’ apartment in Beijing, reflecting the client’s intergenerational integration ethos that blends pre-school education and elder care. The subject site consisted of an original 18th century Siheyuan courtyard, an adjacent replica courtyard built in the 1990s, and a four-story modern building. Following its completion at the end of 2019, the kindergarten now serves as a pre-school education space.

The new layer forms a floating roof that contrast dramatically with the grey roofs of the traditional buildings, but at the same time it connects a variety of independent spaces in unity. As it envelops the old courtyard, the new space adopts a low and gentle posture, with a flowing motion contrasting the strict, orderly layout of the historic structure. This tension, emerging from different dimensions in time, gives the building a renewed life. The new does not overshadow the old, while the past does not overtake the present …read more

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PROJECT DATA
Project Title
YueCheng Courtyard Kindergarten
Location
Beijing, China
Completion Date
2020
Site Area
9,275 square metres
Gross Floor Area
10,778 square metres
Building Height
21.05 metres
Client
Yuecheng Group
Chief Architect
MAD Architects
Principal Partners in Charge
Ma Yansong, Dang Qun & Yosuke Hayano
Executive Architect
China Academy of Building Research
Interior Design Firm
MAD Architects & Supercloud Studio
Ceiling R&D
Shanghai Siyou Metallic Materials Co., Ltd.
Lighting Consultant
Lumia Lighting Design
Landscape Architect
MAD Architects & ECOLAND Planning and Design Corporation
Images
MAD Architects