Beijing Feicui Education Centre

CLOU Architects

Project description

Beijing Feicui Education Centre is a 40,000 sqm commercial development with a focus on education. The resulting combination has created a typology which is more like retail-educational campus than a shopping center. The project envisions a new type of urban university for all ages where people go to have fun, to learn and to be informed. This prototype could fuse some fresh energy into urban development and regeneration. DESIGN CHALLENGE The design challenge for this project is to thread educational and retail programs into a positive feedback loop, combining both public and private educational platforms which are beneficial for visitors and the community. The main building to the east of the site and the small-scale volumes to the north encircle a central sunken plaza, which is accessible from two exterior stairways at ground level. The sunken plaza is conceived as a retail-educational zone, encouraging public-private interaction and collaboration. The façade of the main building features a large area of glazing which compliments the minimal form of the building while allowing for the interior to be naturally lit. The smaller scale pavilion buildings help to spread more program across the site while their geometric forms and size offer a playful contrast to the larger mass of the main building. EDUCATION THROUGH DESIGN CLOU believes through successful development, people of all ages can be given a great place to gather, have fun, and learn. Beijing Feicui Education Centre was designed with this belief in mind and conceived as a platform to achieve this.