Avenue Green Sheshan: A Kindergarten Like No Other

Chloe Liew's Award-Winning Design Transforms Learning Spaces

Chloe Liew's design vision for Avenue Green Sheshan was to create a space that felt like home, a small communal place for children. The design is inspired by local conditions and the daily interactions between children, teachers, and parents. Liew envisioned how the children and teachers would use the space, and the result is a kindergarten that is both dynamic and quiet, offering different zones with different architectural terrain and structures to accommodate various modes of activities.

One of the unique features of the design is the surprising curved slide placed in the center core of the reception waiting area. This structure, which Liew describes as turning the entire space into a huge toy, promotes children's curiosity and encourages their self-initiated exploration. The large open, bright, and pleasant area allows children to run freely around the columns and play hide-and-seek, while the small huts incorporated in the large space provide a quiet ambiance for children to enjoy.

The design adopts a light color scheme and uses wood, conveying a message of sustainability and environmental friendliness while also creating a warm, homely feeling. The interior is highly geometrical, challenging children's visual experience, and the rooms are arranged with a narrative-inspired twist. Natural sunlight is utilized to create a sense of peacefulness and coziness.

One of the challenges Liew faced in realizing this design was creating a cool mezzanine level for an interlocking space and circulation. This was achieved by bringing a climbing net into the mezzanine area, allowing children to climb high and look down from above. This not only creates fun for exercise but also provides varied contact spaces for children to move around for exploration.

The design also includes a café-like facility for interaction, where parents can wait and rest while children play around the slide. One of the features of this reception area is the backdrop wall with a simple color-coat, which is used to project children's works and showcase the kindergarten's culture.

Chloe Liew's design for Avenue Green Sheshan has been recognized with a Silver A' Design Award, 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.