Screens of metal mesh allow plants to climb up the walls of this steel-framed school in Ha Long City by Vietnamese studio HGAA, which has been shortlisted in the civic building category of Dezeen Awards 2021.
Called My Montessori Garden, the preschool is designed to support the Montessori education system, which encourages children to develop natural interests instead of using a formal curriculum with grades and tests.
The site of the preschool is surrounded by a white mesh fence
Due to a maximum lease of 10 years on the land, the building was designed to be easy to dismantle and relocate, with the structure based on a simple two-storey steel frame.
The site was previously being used as a community vegetable garden, which HGAA used to inform their concept of a "garden school", infilling the steel frame with wire mesh that allows climbing plants to gradually take over. The studio used materials that could be easily taken down once the school's lease ends
"We hope to bring a simple, effective and practical model that contributes to a positive improvement in the educational environment," explained the studio.
"Although the land area is not large, the investor was determined to dedicate more than 50 per cent to the garden, to create a learning space close to nature in which children can connect and interact."
The structures were constructed using corrugated metal and glass
Two large classrooms are housed in a pair of corrugated steel blocks with b...