Qingshan School by MOMENTUM Architects

Qingshan School is located in Qingshan Village, within the Yuhang District of Hangzhou, on the site of an abandoned primary school. The original structures, left in severe disrepair and spatially outdated, were demolished to make way for a contemporary educational facility. Respecting the site’s footprint, scale, and cultural memory, MOMENTUM Architects envisioned a student-centered campus that reconnects learning with rural life. The project aims to cultivate not just knowledge but a sense of belonging, community, and intergenerational engagement, rooted in the village context.

From the outset, the design was guided by the concept of a “learning village”, where education is integrated with the rhythms of the surrounding landscape. MOMENTUM Architects sought to dissolve conventional boundaries between indoor and outdoor learning environments, fostering curiosity, collaboration, and hands-on exploration.

Masterplan and Spatial Strategy

The campus is organized as a series of programmatic units arranged around open courtyards, connected by bamboo-woven corridors that mediate transitions between interior and exterior spaces. This layout encourages students to experience learning across the site—under trees, along the stream, and in the open fields. The design strategically uses courtyards as hubs of activity, serving simultaneously as informal gathering spaces, outdoor classrooms, and venues for cultural and community events.

Within the campus, modular classrooms and flexible layouts accommodate a range of pedagogical approaches. Spaces are designed to support group discussions, individual reflection, and hands-on experimentation. Semi-open corridors, stairwells, and raised platforms extend the classroom into the landscape, transforming circulation into active learning zones. By merging functional requirements with spatial exploration, the school fosters a continuous dialogue between education, play, and environmental observation.

The project was developed in close collaboration with educators, ensuring that the spatial organization aligns with children’s cognitive development and daily rhythms. Importantly, the school functions today as a shared educational platform, hosting rural study programs, summer camps, and community workshops. Parents, villagers, and educators participate alongside children, turning the school into a civic hub that strengthens intergenerational relationships and community cohesion.

Materiality and Cultural Engagement

Qingshan School emphasizes local materials and traditional craft techniques. Earthen walls were crafted from village soil using local plastering methods, imparting both thermal comfort and a tactile connection to the land. Bamboo structures and timber details were produced with the participation of local artisans and young volunteers, embedding cultural transmission within the construction process. This approach ensured that the act of building became a community-driven, participatory experience, reinforcing the school’s role as a cultural and social platform.

The material palette and construction methods are deliberate: they celebrate regional craftsmanship, highlight environmental sustainability, and provide a sensory-rich experience for students. The textures of earth, timber, and bamboo create a warm and inviting environment, while reinforcing a strong connection between the built environment and the surrounding landscape.

Community, Learning, and Future Potential

Although Qingshan School is not yet formally incorporated into the state education system, it serves as a prototype for rural educational innovation. By rooting learning spaces in the land, the community, and local craft, the project expands the role of architecture beyond mere shelter. It becomes a living laboratory for pedagogy, cultural preservation, and community engagement.

The school exemplifies a vision in which architecture can inspire social interaction, curiosity, and creativity, linking students to their environment and to each other. Its courtyards, classrooms, and pathways cultivate a learning ecosystem where education occurs in multiple modes—formal, informal, and experiential.

Qingshan School demonstrates that architecture, when integrated with culture, craft, and ecology, can serve as a platform for social experimentation. The project reimagines the possibilities of education in rural China, providing a model for future school designs that prioritize engagement, context, and community participation. Even before official recognition, the school stands as a symbol of learning, resilience, and collaborative creation, embodying the transformative potential of thoughtful design.

Photography: Shengliang Su