stacked color blocks and layered courtyards form a modular castle-like kindergarten in china

The 9,012-square-meter kindergarten campus in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, is planned for 21 classes within a dense urban setting. High-rise housing surrounds the site to the north and east, while a substation, waste transfer station, and emergency medical center occupy the southern edge. The design shifts the building mass northward to form a dense green buffer along the south boundary, using landscape as an environmental and spatial filter. A block-based architectural composition stacks and offsets volumes to form a fragmented, castle-like structure. An enclosed central courtyard becomes the main outdoor space for play and daily movement. Openings in the southern facade introduce staircases and transparent glass volumes that interrupt enclosure and frame selective views toward sky, city, and trees while preserving courtyard privacy. Color variations support a sensory learning environment.

"The 9,012-square-meter campus is planned as a 21-class kindergarten and responds directly to the site's spatial constraints through a combination of enclosed architecture and layered landscape design. High-rise housing surrounds the site to the north and east, while a substation, waste transfer station, and emergency medical center occupy the southern edge. In response to these conditions, the project establishes a protected internal environment for children while gradually introducing visual connections to the surrounding city and natural landscape."

"The building mass is shifted northward to create a dense green buffer along the southern boundary, using landscape as a spatial and environmental filter between the kindergarten and adjacent infrastructure. The architectural composition is informed by the logic of blocks. Stacked and shifted volumes generate a layered arrangement resembling a fragmented castle-like structure, establishing both spatial clarity and varied outdoor conditions."

"The enclosed layout forms a central that functions as the primary outdoor environment for play, movement, and daily activities. Openings within the southern facade introduce staircases and transparent glass volumes that interrupt the enclosure and frame selective views toward the city, sky, and surrounding trees. These visual corridors maintain the privacy of the courtyard while allowing children to remain aware of the larger urban environment beyond the campus."

"Color is treated as an integral spatial element throughout the project by Studio SoBa. Variations in saturation and br"

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