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Architects: J.R Architects
- Area: 1268 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Yu-Chen, Tsao
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Lead Architect: Cho-Jen, Huang
Text description provided by the architects. This is JR Architects’ first built public competition project. The site is located in the countryside of Southern Taiwan. The goal was to demolish the existing imminently dangerous school and replace it with a multi-functional campus that can both accommodate children education and senior day care.‘Whale’ is the design concept of the project since the site is adjacent to the Taiwan Strait. The massing symbolizes a giant whale swimming in and embrace the site to guard the children.
The whale tail coming out of the water becomes the entrance of the school; its body is taken shape by concrete facets and along with design elements like landscape, stairs and slide, it becomes the back of the whale as well as one of the favorite features of children, which further manifests into volume and space. The courtyard type of classroom layout is inspired from pectoral -fins that serve as a windbreak for the northeast downhill wind, and it also frames the view towards the ocean for the classrooms and public plaza. Underneath the ocean-color ceiling, there are vertical concrete walls in the hallway to obstruct monsoon and harsh western sunlight. The punctures on the walls resemble the bubbles in the ocean and help set up a hide-and-seek playground for the children in the shade.
The rooftop platform also serves as an emergency high ground during tsunamis. The large staircase indicates the direction and guides people’s eyesight and movements towards the top of the roof. When rising above the levee, one can start sensing the breeze from the downhill wind along with the rhythm created from the tidal waves and the immense scenery of land and sea that juxtapose into the vision and imagination of the seaside campus.
