Golden A' Design Award Winner 2021
ECOLAND Planning and Design Corp.'s Play Garden for Yuecheng Kindergarten presents an extraordinary aerial perspective that captures the harmonious dialogue between contemporary landscape architecture and traditional vernacular building forms, where the eye is immediately drawn to the vivid coral-red play surface that dominates approximately two-thirds of the compositional field, its warm saturated hue reminiscent of cinnabar or cadmium red medium, creating a vibrant chromatic ground against which all other elements organize themselves with deliberate spatial logic. The compositional architecture follows a dynamic curvilinear schema, with sweeping organic pathways and elevated timber walkways creating sinuous directional vectors that guide visual movement through the space in flowing S-curves and graceful arabesques. Traditional grey-tiled rooflines occupy the left portion of the frame, their cool blue-grey tonality establishing a sophisticated complementary relationship with the warm coral expanse, while the geometric precision of their hip-and-gable forms provides rectilinear counterpoint to the biomorphic playground geometries. The upper register features concentric eye-like motifs painted in gradient rings of coral, pink, sage green, and cerulean blue, suggesting oversized abstract organisms or cellular forms that transform the ground plane into an imaginative terrain. A sunken play structure at right center features a polished stainless steel slide that catches brilliant specular highlights, its metallic surface creating luminous accents against the amber-toned timber decking that defines the circular depression. Mature deciduous trees with fresh spring-green foliage punctuate the composition at strategic intervals, their organic canopies providing vertical accent and natural shade while softening the geometric precision of built elements. The zenithal lighting condition creates minimal shadows, rendering the space in crystalline clarity that emphasizes the chromatic relationships and material contrasts. Human figures at modest scale provide essential spatial reference, their presence animating the environment and demonstrating the generous proportions of the play landscape. The synthesis of traditional architectural vocabulary with bold contemporary landscape intervention exemplifies a sophisticated design philosophy that honors cultural heritage while embracing imaginative innovation.
Utilization of the open rooftop space made it possible to enhance the kindergarten's edutainment needs without sacrificing the preservation of the historic courtyard buildings and trees. The rubberized playground surface material cloaks the entire roof in varying hues of earth tones and provides a safe and comfortable surface on which the children can run, jump, fall, laugh, crawl and climb. The rich colors were derived from the vibrant pallet of colors that wrap the eves of the ancient Chinese buildings, further referencing the connection between the old and new.