Text description provided by the architects. As one of the “high-quality expansion” schools in Shanghai, JSES is located in the New City with the fastest population growth. Derived from the spirit of “experimentation”, it can be regarded as a “Cross-border School”. For the city, the campus crosses the urban road boundary; for the project, the full-stage participation of the school principal crosses the boundary of education and design; for the space, the professional boundaries of architecture, interior and landscape are crossed and integrated.
The school’s teaching, art, sports, future, and learning center building modules form a composite layout of “One Body, Two Wings, and Three Axes” based on the shape and environment of the site. Multiple north-south passages on different floors connect all buildings and create a convenient and accessible campus and a variety of indoor and outdoor activity places that integrate the concept of pedestrian priority and child friendly.
For the two independent plots, the design proposes a “Block Complex” strategy that includes Sky corridors and street public spaces to form an “independent but not separated” campus. The east and west wings, adjacent to both sides of the city road, are the most frequently used areas of the school, combining buildings, parks and ramps. The learning center in the west wing is an innovative learning space for low, The future center in the east wing area forms a multi-functional space for meetings, reports, performances, exhibitions, etc. through a superimposed design. The two main entrances of the school are designed with the concept of a park.
The South Axis includes teaching buildings and public spaces set up along the river, where classrooms and teachers’ offices have the best orientation and landscape. Each floor of the teaching building contains three sets of “two rooms and one hall” modules (every two standard classrooms share a small discussion hall)，The corridor of the teaching building is widened to meet the needs of students for rest, activities and communication during class breaks. Adjacent to the school building is a games garden and a relaxation garden. The fire escape is landscaped, combined with the concave green space to form a transparent garden for daily activities. The entrance of the garden is connected to the “Discussion Hall”, which makes it easy for students to enter and exit.
The large single building of the school and the Camphor Forest on the north side form the North Axis, which reduces the noise interference of urban roads on the campus and forms a simple campus space skyline. The layered building setbacks establish a dialogue with the city. Through intensive design, the Art Center integrates multiple functions such as theater, classrooms, and canteens. The Sports Center is the largest single building of the school, which can be accessed on the ground, second and third floors, and provides a variety of sports functions. A fun slide in the northeast corner leads to the ground level, bringing an intimate and friendly experience to the large building.
With a length of 550 meters, the Central Axis is designed as a fully open landscape corridor that runs through the entire campus, connecting to the city skyline at the end. Gardens, courtyards, bridges, platforms, and underground spaces connect the buildings in the north and south axes, creating the most vibrant campus public space. The Track park is an 8,000-square-meter non-powered park at the west end of the Central Axis with three types of functions: sports, game exploration, and nature experience. The park is connected by a “wrap-around track” to provide students with an attractive outdoor space. The Geo Garden and Dry Creek Boardwalk incorporate sustainable designs for rainwater infiltration, collection, and reuse.
The 5-metre height of the second platform and the ground floor is connected by a valley garden and a terrace garden. The Underground Hall is 10 meters high, including sports venues, theatrical performances, pick-up, distribution and other functions. The Halo Playground on the roof of the lobby contains multiple playable light wells, providing natural light that reduces the energy consumption of artificial lighting. The Tree Table Garden in the center of the Senior School is a combination of shaded trees and outdoor tables and chairs to create a scene of learning, communication and rest.The Sports Park is an outdoor sports space at the east end of the Central Axis., including a 300-meter standard running track, a football field, a ball game field, and a fitness equipment field. A floodlit football pitch with soft natural grass has the potential to be open to the surrounding community.
The cross-border JSES school has changed the tradition of “handing over the keys and moving in” as the receiver only. The crossover between education and design creates diverse scenes from the “city to desk” scale, maximizing the publicness and participation of the space. The school is no longer a simple collection of individual buildings, but contains an understanding of education, a vision of the future, and a reflection on the coexistence of man and nature. “Crossover” is not a challenge to existing rules, but a positive innovation that brings a distinctive appeal and personality to each school，just like the SES’s attitude for every student.
