1. Unity Preschool

36 Rufeng St.
Hangzhou, China
Built 2023

“ There are three teachers of children:
adults, other children, and their physical environment.”

—Loris Malagucchi

Unity Preschool is a Reggio-Emilia Inspired kindergarten located in Fuyang, Hangzhou. Studio Jia was commissioned to design this school with programs including 8 classrooms, roof garden, central piazza, art studio, kitchen, school office, ground floor playground and more. We incorporated and fused educational philosophies of Emilia Reggio Approach into our design, making the architectural space the third teacher of the young children at Unity Preschool.

1. Central Staircase

The visual center at the entrance of Unity Preschool is a large, three-story, bright yellow staircase. A large spiral slide is inserted into the stairwell, along with a sky well leading to the roof top. Bright yellow the themed color of the preschool, representing vitality, the rising sun, warmth, brightness, and happiness in life. The light steel frame structure contrasts sharply with the heavy concrete flooring, showcasing the intricate architectural structure and spatial interplay to children. This allows them to experience the transition between different-sized spaces and the geometric transformations of light and shadows created by the stairs and light.

2. School Library & Gallary

Adjacent to the central square is a gallery-style library. In contrast to the grand architectural space of the central stage, the gallery-style library features low bookshelves and small spaces with short steps proportioned to children's height. This design allows children to enter a reassuring and comfortable space for reading and aesthetic experiences. Studio Jia firmly believe that educational spaces should not be limited to a single function. Therefore, educational spaces at Unity Preschool are not partitioned with solid walls. Children can experience different spaces based on the proportion of their own bodies to the architectural space, becoming flexible users of the space and exploring the infinite possibilities of learning and growth.

Unity Preschool Library differs from typical preschool libraries. Our bookshelves are designed at heights easily accessible to children. Furthermore, the bookshelves and gallery display racks are seamlessly integrated, allowing children to freely read, learn, and explore within a comprehensive artistic atmosphere. To make reading more engaging and enrich the spatial experience, we have designed various reading zones for children, such as sunken reading areas, tatami-style reading platforms, private reading nooks, wooden reading spaces, and plant-adorned reading corners. Children can choose their reading scene based on their interests and preferences, enhancing their focus, stimulating their interest in reading, and seamlessly integrating reading into their daily lives.

3. Classrooms

Natural light is a crucial factor for the physical and mental well-being of children. Therefore, all classrooms at Unity Preschool are equipped with full-length windows and natural materials. The large glass windows in the corridors are designed at two different heights for adults and children, providing varying visual connections between the interior and exterior of the classrooms. In line with the Reggio Emilia Approach, children's works and educational materials should not be confined to two-dimensional surfaces. Hence, we have incorporated magnetic wall cabinets, wooden tool walls, and grid-like track lighting for hanging materials, allowing children to create and learn in the three-dimensional space within the classroom. Tongxin integrates all furniture and facility designs with our educational philosophy.

In each classroom, we have created a nap area with natural wooden elements, providing children with a comforting and cozy space for napping and a small stage for role-playing. Each child has their own designated mattress drawer and a cabinet for storing their bedding. During nap time, teachers guide the children to make their own beds and organize their bedding. Through this process, children learn to tidy up and make their beds, promoting self-care and life skills. The nap area's platform also serves as a significant space for children's role-playing and theatrical performances.

4. Playground & Roof Garden

Unity Preschool's ground floor outdoor area is a true natural paradise, allowing children to play and explore in a natural environment. Here, they can find a small creek, treehouses, natural lawns, and even a hilly forest terrain. Children can freely run and play on the slopes of varying heights, enhancing their coordination, muscle strength, and physical fitness. In this space, children can unleash their nature, experience the joy of primitive play facilities, exercise their imagination, and play without any restrictions.

The rooftop garden is a crucial space designed to stimulate children's five senses and their overall sensory development. We have incorporated numerous flowerbeds in the rooftop garden, primarily filled with various herbs, flowers, and shrubs for children to touch, smell, gather, and observe. Additionally, each class has its own vegetable garden, where, under the guidance of teachers, children plant various vegetables and fruits as part of their research themes. The children are involved in every stage, from sowing seeds to watering, fertilizing, and harvesting. To ensure a comfortable experience, especially during the summer, we have integrated a mist cooling system and canopies over activity zones for physical cooling.

5. Piazza & Kitchen

The kitchen at Unity Preschool serves not only as a place to prepare meals but also as an integral part of the educational experience. We have employed a design with a full-wall transparent glass, allowing children to witness the entire cooking process. The kitchen area is adjacent to the family-style dining area in the Piazza, enabling a structured flow of cooking, arrangement, serving, dining, and recycling, all within the same space. Through this design, children can systematically understand the origin of food and actively participate in the entire food preparation process.

6. Café & Meeting Room

On regular weekdays, parents have the option to enjoy coffee and taste the handmade snacks from the school at the first-floor café. They can utilize this space for work, communication, and learning. Additionally, on the second floor, we have dedicated private spaces for one-on-one communication between parents and teachers regarding their children's progress and well-being, promoting effective and personalized communication between the school and parents.

7. Corridors

The corridors between classrooms should be vibrant public spaces rather than narrow pathways for movement. Therefore, we have adopted a design approach that gradually widens the classroom corridors, transforming them into the main hub for children's socialization, physical activity, and learning. To add an element of fun, we ingeniously utilized the large structural columns of the original building, allowing children to experience the joy of hide-and-seek as if they were in a forest. Additionally, we incorporated design elements from the first-floor gallery-style library into the corridors, creating combined spaces with small reading nooks and climbing frames. This design allows children to enjoy both playtime and the pleasures of reading simultaneously.

We have designed a three-story large climbing structure that spans the entire kindergarten, allowing children to freely move through different floors and heights, promoting physical coordination and fitness. Moreover, it encourages interaction and socialization among children on various levels. For example, children on the second floor can directly interact with those on the first floor through the climbing structure, and children in the rooftop garden on the third floor can observe children climbing on the lower levels. This enhances the children's awareness of spatial connection and interaction, creating a diverse environment for communication and learning.

8. Art Studio & Indoor Activity Room

The art studio at Unity Preschool is designed to provoke curiosity and wonder. The large wall-embedded glass shelves display a wide range of diverse and natrual materials inside and outside of art studio. The space is open, allowing children to move freely and engage with different materials and stations. The Indoor activity room seamlessly connects to the outdoors, and the top is equipped with sound-absorbing felt panels that not only protect the children's hearing but also incorporate a wave-themed design element. This design allows children to experience the geometric variations in the top space, adding an engaging dimension to their sensory experience.

We've specially designed a one-way glass waiting area next to the indoor activity room for parents. Parents can observe the activities inside the classroom through the one-way glass, while on the other side facing the activity room is a mirrored surface so that children are not disturbed by the presence of parents.

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1. Unity Preschool