Courtyard Kindergarten Beijing Pre-School Building, Chinese Education Architecture Images
Courtyard Kindergarten in Beijing
Pre-School Building Development China design by MAD Architects
19 Nov 2020 + 19 Nov 2018
Courtyard Kindergarten China
Design: MAD Architects
Location: Beijing, China
Courtyard Kindergarten

photos © ArchExist
In 2017, MAD Architects was commissioned to design a kindergarten 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, covering an area of 9,275 square meters, 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 for 390 children aged from 1.5 to 6 years old.
photos © Hufton+Crow
?When I looked back at my own kindergarten years, and even the ones I saw after I grew up, I always wondered what it is that kids long for the most,? said Ma Yansong. ?Perhaps it is freedom and love. A kindergarten doesn?t always have to offer complex hardware or fixtures, but it must always make kids feel freedom and love ? something that leads them to endless possibilities.?

photo © Hufton+Crow
In shaping the project, MAD chose to remove the replica courtyard outside the historic 18th century original, and replace it with a new space ...