The Yuecheng Kindergarten was commissioned by the company of the same name to complement its senior housing: its idea was an intergenerational scheme, where preschool education is combined with caring for older people. The site originally housed a new four-story building, an 18th century Xiheyuan-style city manor house and its modern counterpart. Residential buildings of the last decades predominated around.
The architects demolished the newly built manor and incorporated the kindergarten into the vacant space around the historic Siheyuan; according to the architects, their building seems to be holding it in the palm of your hand. The old and new buildings form a single complex for 390 children aged one and a half to six years.
MAD founder Ma Yansong drew on his own childhood memories to design, trying to understand what preschoolers need most. His conclusion was love and freedom, which - if the child has them - will open up "unlimited possibilities" for him. Therefore, the building does not set a clear framework, but gives it a choice - what to do and what to do.
The new part contrasts with its streamlined shape with the strict symmetrical composition of the estate, however, in both cases, the inner courtyards play an important role. The modern building, with the help of its three yards, bends around the old trees that existed on the site. They also provide light and fresh air for the interior and a safe place for children to play. But the main such space is the roof, where slides and stairs lead from the courtyards.
The idea of the roof as the heroine of the project was suggested by a Chinese proverb for children: “If you don’t be punished for three days, the roof will collapse”. The "collapsing" roof, where there are openings and mounds, serves as the main space for walks and outdoor activities, while at ground level there is relatively little space for this. Its bright colors contrast with the usual gray and blue tones of bricks and tiles in Beijing: this unusualness should broaden the child's horizon, induce him to think and dream.
An important role in the interior is played by the aluminum lattice ceiling covering: it visually lowers the height of the premises and reduces their scale, which is important for the child's perception. The abundance of glazing ensures, among other things, the visual connection of the new building with the historical one.
One of the main spaces is an amphitheater deepened relative to the ground level, on top of which there are shelves with books (their abundance is the basis of the kindergarten's "policy"). Behind it there is a two-story hall for physical education, meetings or just playing in bad weather.
The educational zone in the western part of the building is divided into sectors for different age groups not by walls, but by free-standing streamlined partitions that allow you to hear and see what is happening nearby (they are also part of the supporting structure).
The historic estate is given over to children's artistic activities - dancing, painting, etc., there are also administrative premises.
