Shenzhen Longhua Xingzhi Middle School

Shenzhen Longhua Xingzhi Middle School

Shenzhen Longhua Xingzhi Middle School is an innovative educational architectural project located in Longhua District, Shenzhen, exemplifying a student-centered design philosophy that revolutionizes traditional school architecture. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning complex, completed in 2021, encompasses a total construction area of 58,124 square meters and accommodates 2,100 students across 42 classes, featuring a distinctive dumbbell-shaped layout that maximizes spatial efficiency and social interaction. The architectural design employs a sophisticated subtraction method, creating strategic voids within the dense classroom array and incorporating public bridges to establish a Mobius Ring-type public space system that facilitates informal communication through three-dimensional spatial circulation. The structure utilizes advanced engineering solutions, including frame structures for teaching buildings and frame shear wall structures for dormitories, with a notable 27-meter long-span steel structure corridor that eliminates the need for supporting columns. The design masterfully addresses a 10-meter height difference between the north and south of the site, transforming this challenging topography into an advantage by creating multi-level communication spaces that serve both educational and community needs. The project's innovative features include stereoscopically arranged sports facilities at the east and west ends, connected by a 25-meter-wide complex public steps square that serves as both a circulation hub and a community gathering space. The design incorporates colorful staircases, platforms, and thoughtfully scaled architectural elements that create varied and individualized spaces, fostering an environment that stimulates students' curiosity and imagination while promoting educational excellence and community integration.

educational architecture, student-centered design, community integration, spatial innovation, sustainable development, urban education facility

— Adam Dawson