Fun Paradise: A Beacon of Hope and Innovation

Yanming Yin's Award-Winning Design Merges Education and Architecture

Yanming Yin's design journey began with his first occupation as a teacher. After many years of design practice, he sought to explore those things that could bring him the peacefulness and real joy of life beyond the typical design business. This led him to the innovative implementing model combining design with education. Inspired by the play of geometry, toy bricks, and the traditional house roof of the local ethnic Yi people, Yin fused the colorful acrylic house with the cultural symbol of colorful Yunnan into an interactive space.

What sets "Fun Paradise" apart is its unique approach to space. The design starts from the characteristics of perception and mentality of schoolchildren to construct a house within a house, or a space within a space. This innovative project combines design with education, intending to build an additional third space beyond the typical classroom and playground for countryside children to engage in computer access, reading, communication, and other interactive activities. The project aims to improve rural education and lead the children in low-income areas to a hopeful future.

The design applies the traditional house roof form of the local ethnic Yi people to the new building. The undulated facade profile and the roof of warm colorful coated steel sheets produce a strong sense of modernity. Moreover, the entire structure adopts the steel structure, ensuring it is water-proof and earthquake-resistant. The design adopts nip glue coated glass for best daylight effects, and puts durable and environmentally friendly pine wood on the interior wall, creating a safe active space for the children.

The design creates a series of open spaces, composing a fun paradise for children studying in the remote mountainous area. The sunken but quiet area is for reading; the main ground area is for accessing the internet, participating in communication and stage performance; the upper floor is for drawing, free play, and an audience area for viewing a performance. The project divides the dynamic and quiet academic functions through varied spatial characteristics but also seeks to integrate them through interactive visual exchanges within a unified space.

The project started in December 2015 and finished in March 2017 in Yunnan. During the construction of the project, due to the lack of local professional construction teams, there emerged many construction difficulties. The project also encountered numerous problems related to the site survey, water proofing, and earthquake resistance. However, through close communication and cooperation among the Creative-Space Design team, the local architectural design institute, and other related design units of structure and electromechanical systems, the safety and construction progress of the overall project were fully guaranteed.

In recognition of its innovative design and impact on rural education, "Fun Paradise" was awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2018. This prestigious award is rewarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.