Time: 2002/2004    Location: Dongguan , Guangdong     Size: 50000 sqm

The education complex occupies a slopping site bounded by the main campus plaza to the west and a narrow lake to the east. The building extends 280 meters, creating a series of interconnected courtyards of various sizes. Facing the main public plaza to the west, the building forms a strong urban edge with open galleries, balconies, platforms, open stairs and ramps, creating a wide range of social spaces for the students throughout the complex.

The tiered classrooms are grouped on two levels connected by open corridors and ramps, which create a network of city “streets” and “plazas” at all levels. The entire ground floor is left open to allow unobstructed views from the main square to the lake. This layout is also sensitive to the hot and humid local climate by allowing the maximum amount of fresh air flow throughout the building.

The large classrooms consist of one-story-individual pavilions attached to lineal wings, forming secondary roof terraces for student activities. Like the ancient Chinese Gardens, the building engages the landscape by its terraced ground floor which corresponds to the existing natural contours of the ground and by “borrowing” the views from the lake, the square, and the surrounding buildings.

The Modern Education Center occupies a tight and irregular site facing the lake. A curvilinear envelope encloses the classrooms, offices and the amphitheatre, forming a semi-open inner patio. Gaps between the rectilinear classroom wing and the curved outer wall become pocket patios filled with bamboo, and with balconies overlooking the vast underdeveloped landscape beyond the horizon.