unarchitecte builds an artificial hillock into the lingbao children’s center in china

unarchitecte has completed a renovation project in the north of lingbao city in china‘s henan province to create a new children’s center. facing a tight construction period and an existing building that was of low quality and cramped space, the design team aimed to build a bright and clean center where children can concentrate on playing and cognition, exploring and thinking.

a park embedded into the community, a paradise without walls

all images by commune one and zhang hetian

the first step by unarchitecte was to remove all the existing decorations and extra vertical lines on the building to create a clean and concise external façade. five sets of staircases remain on the elevations, connecting each floor with the outdoor space and simplifying the children’s activity paths. from inside to outside, bright, highly-saturated colors were applied to contrast with the white space, resulting in a fun and friendly atmosphere. 

areas around the site are returned to the community

the boundary between the indoor environment and external play area is eliminated with the aim of integrating them together. the outdoor space was designed to intertwine with the urban context, providing a place where children and the community can learn from each other. to achieve this, the fence at the edge of the site ripples in organic forms, giving rise to pockets of space for the local people.

the folding of the boundary gives rise to new public spaces for the community

in these outdoor spaces provided by the undulating fence walls, the community will furnish with seating, sports equipment and trees. hence people can get closer to the playground and be surrounded by the activities of the children. at the same time, the children can curiously watch the elderly on the outside playing chess and learn these skills while becoming used to greetings and exchanges with strangers, and even observe the small crafts and business practices of vendors who occasionally set up stalls outside.

the outdoor playground and the architecture are extended and integrated with each other

the child growth and development center is designed a new form of park, organically embedded into the urban context, injecting new vitality into the community. after opening to the public, the center has been referred to as ‘a paradise without walls’ by local people. residents of the community have been attracted to bring their children to play here, which has even resulted in increased house prices in just a few months. this park embedded in the community is gradually affecting and improving the whole area.

the hillock in the playground creates happy undulations

transparency and purity extend from the building to the site

the site and urban space permeate each other

the boundary forms the different activity fields

the blackboard paint on the lower part of the wall protects and enriches the wall

the hall’s intricate structure is integrated by a semi-transparent maze, which provides the thickness to develop multiple activity spaces

the colored walls enhance the deep white space

the adequate size of the front room ensures that the children’s activities are not affected by the weather

project info:

project name: lingbao children’s center

location: lingbao city, henan province, china

architect: unarchitecte

completion year: 2020

gross built area: 11235.06 sqm (building renovation 7139.58 sqm, outdoor activity area 4095.48 sqm)

architect in charge: zhang hetian

design team: zhang hetian, fan yonggang, xuxuan, wang jinhua, liu qi, zhang jinxian, meng xiangtao, zhang yulong, li bin, wang shuang, sun jihua, liu jing

client: yangguangyulu group

landscape: unarchitecte

construction company: jiangsu xuanheng construction intelligentized engineering co., ltd etc.

collaborator: superstructure

manufacturer and brand info: nippon paint, dorelom artificial grass, dow glue, hikvision & dahua monitoring equipment, rattop digital audio video

photography: commune one, zhang hetian

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom