Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Facade. Image © Chiara Ye

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten 

ArkA

INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Arka

DESIGN TEAM
Julian Amaya Bolivar, Tony Wang

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Michele Lanari

CLIENT
Peninsula Education Group

PHOTOGRAPHS
Chiara Ye

AREA
8884 M²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Shenzhen, China

CATEGORY
Kindergarten, Educational Interiors

CHAPTER 1 - THE REAL ADVENTURE

Once in south China's Shenzhen, Peninsula Education Group (Peninsula) came forward with a visionary idea of creating a new learning space to help foster the next generation.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Entrance. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye

Peninsula felt the necessity to build a magical place that belongs to children themselves. They believed that a novel and free environment is essential for children to learn new things actively and develop their social skills.

One day, among the wild forest of the Whale Mountain, Peninsula had found the perfect place to make this new learning space a reality.

There were two identical old apartment towers with 4 floors, and each tower was immersed in Shenzhen’s tropical nature with ample space for a playground between the two buildings.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye

Peninsula had decided to name the place Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten, and that was when the real adventure started.

CHAPTER 2 - BOLD CREATIVITY

The challenging project was granted to ArkA, a bold and creative design team.

Under the direction of Italian architect Michele Lanari, ArkA’s team took on the proposal to create a new education facility for children in the residential complex.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Music room. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Corridor lobby. Image © Chiara Ye

ArkA designers restructured the interior space, transforming each of the old apartments into a classroom and adapting the functions of a house to a single space. The apartments had many rooms.

The new design kept part of those layouts, using them as an advantage to optimize the space.

It aimed to create a cozy home environment where children feel at ease and comfortable to avoid feeling the shocking jump from home to classroom.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
3F corridor. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Art room. Image © Chiara Ye

CHAPTER 3 - PERFECT BALANCE

The new design took into full consideration the teachers' needs to guide the children easily and practically.

New windows were built inside classrooms, allowing the teachers to observe children's activities.

Internally, aligned arches were installed to reduce obstacles and ensure freedom of children’s’ movement, meanwhile solving the problem of lack of lighting and creating a clear bright space.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Art room. Image © Chiara Ye

The texture of natural materials like wood could stimulate children's sense of touch, and white paint on all walls generated comfortable ambience.

In addition, ArkA designers selected pastel color palette for the bathroom and kitchen furniture which matched with corridor’s tiles to create a delicate balanced environment to relax the mind and inspire children's creativity.

By upgrading detailed components, the interior design intended, based on the usual sober style of schools, to build a dreamy palace for children.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
3F corridor. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Kitchen classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye

CHAPTER 4 - WHALE MOUNTAIN PALACE

A new facade was installed on the structure of each building with a second layer of aluminum panels in a red brick hue, serving as shelter solution to improve the buildings’ isolation and maintenance, which protects them from Shenzhen’s humidity and high temperatures.

Panels were connected to a decorative moulding in white metal, dividing each floor and integrating windows to the frames.

Playgrounds were planned in terraces and gardens to enhance the magic appeal in a learning environment and to bring the children closer to nature.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Kitchen classroom. Image © Chiara Ye

Design and construction took approximately two years. Ever since then, the Whale Mountain has been a place full of joy and wonders.

The Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten commits itself to accompany China’s new generations in their learning and growing up, doing its best to contribute to their happiness and health.

Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
© Chiara Ye


Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Kitchen classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Facade. Image © Chiara Ye


Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Art room. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Art room. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Corridor and 2F. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Kitchen classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Corridor lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
3F corridor. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Bathroom classroom. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Lobby. Image © Chiara Ye
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Classroom. Image © Chiara Ye


Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
Courtesy of ArkA


Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
1F plan
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
2F plan
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
3F plan
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
4F plan
Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
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Peninsula Jingshan Kindergarten
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