dika kindergarten design center shapes children school into a pink lollipop in china

located in china’s southwestern yunnan province, lies a kindergarten shaped like a lollipop. designed by dika kindergarten design center, the ‘lollipop ideal garden’ began construction in 2017 and was completed at the beginning of 2019. the massive building occupies 10,684 sq meters (115,000 sq feet) and its lively character revives the otherwise monochrome surroundings.

the architects organized the building’s program into a lollipop shape – a completely circular structure with an intersecting straight wing. the circular part of the building hosts an open-air courtyard that is used as a playground area. four stories of classrooms overlook the central space and receive warm natural lighting from the atrium’s circular opening.

the building’s pastel pink-colored facade reminds children and adults alike of candy and sunsets, a welcoming hue for the space. the pink gradient softens the coldness and roughness of the building’s concrete finish and appeals to the kindergartner’s imaginations. the facade also features circular openings of all sizes along with square and more traditional rectangular windows. the alternating shapes create a dynamic surface, and produce unique lighting qualities in each space’s interior.

the building is surrounded entirely by a large playground area, equipped with a running track, and multiple ball sport courts. the ‘tip’ of the lollipop stick includes a massive caricature face from which children can slide down its mouth.

‘lollipop ideal garden’ already won a gold award at beijing design week, and is also participating in the 2019 golden pin design award. the designers of the kindergarten were inspired by the children’s drawings and ideas of utopia when creating this landmark for the city.

project info:

project name: lollipop ideal garden

project type: kindergarten

architects: dika kindergarten design center

location: yunnan province, china

area: 10,684 sq meters (115,000 sq feet)

construction: 2017 – 2019

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edited by: cristina gomez | designboom