Articles by Collin Chen

I. Restrictions & Requests
The project is a kindergarten situated at Yorkville North, a residential compound developed by Hongkong Land in Liangjiang New District, Chongqing, China. It was built on a smooth and level site, near an urban road and built residential high rises to the south, a green park to the west, and residential blocks under construction to the north and east. With a land area of 3,330 m² and construction area of 2,701 m², it will accommodate 9 classes. The site is relatively cramped from the perspective of the quantity of classes. For a kindergarten, providing a pleasant space and environment is very necessary, so the key issue that IDO had to think about was how to create a safe, healthy, human-oriented and playful educational space on the limited site.

Location and environment
This project is located in Shihuyu Village, Jiuduhe Town, Huairou, Beijing, China. And this village is located at the foot of the Water Great Wall, surrounded by endless mountains. The old building is the typical traditional quadrangle in the northern China. There is a residential house over a century old on the north of it. And in the south, it is also a quadrangle. As to the east and south side of the site, they have clear view, it is easily to appreciate the endless mountains and the Grate Wall of China.

Background
Based in Beijing, where “space” is relatively expensive, the chief designer Luo Yujie has been studying how to integrate multiple functions to maximize the utilization of space. For instance, he once designed a piece of large furniture that combined the functions of storage, sofa and computer desk in his small residence, and customized a variable and versatile work desk for architects.

Fachang Village, Heyuan
The Dongjiang River flows through Heyuan city from north to south, and the Xinfeng River circles the city from west to east. The two rivers meet in the east of Heyuan city, making the whole city surrounded by water on three sides, hence the name Heyuan. This is a hakka area in Guangdong. Located in the northeast of Zijin County, Heyuan, Fachang village is probably best known for the brief stay of Sun yat-sen’s people in the early years. For this reason, Zhongshan memorial primary school was built, which is one of the few public buildings in the village (another is the ancestral hall). Most of the village’s young people are now migrant workers in the city, leaving behind mostly the elderly and children who have become the main users of the new community center.

Site impression
In Hangzhou Senbo Resort, there is a valley covered with tea gardens. Going up along the slope of the valley to the endunder a few tall pines, the visitor willvaguely see the city in the distance as he looks out through the valley, and instantly come up with an idea of climbing upmountain.Tea gardens, pines and the valley highlands endow the site with some unique characteristics.

Shekou Memory Wall is a device of time placed in the Shekou Theater Square. Being the client of the project, the Shekou Street Office requested a renovation of the original two embossed walls, hoping to reactivate people’s memory of the history of Shekou.