Located in Ningjin County, Hebei Province, Tongtai School presents a complex and layered response to educational architecture within a rapidly developing rural context. Designed by E PLUS / SZA DESIGN, the project accommodates students from kindergarten to high school. Its architectural narrative is deeply rooted in the ecological and cultural history of the site, particularly the remnants of a former brick kiln, which become central to the project’s formal and material language. Rather than impose a singular gesture, the design articulates a network of spaces, relationships, and material strategies that synthesize pedagogy, topography, and memory.
Tongtai School in Hebei Technical Information
- Architects1-2: E PLUS / SZA DESIGN
- Location: Ningjin County, Hebei Province, China
- Gross Area: 59,560 m2 | 641,188 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Years: 2023
- Photographs: © Jin Weiqi, © Wang Zhe
The red brick carries the memory of the land. By embedding the architecture into the former kiln site, we wanted the campus to become part of the landscape’s ongoing story, educating not only through classrooms but through place itself.
– Wang Zhe, Lead Architect
Tongtai School in Hebei Photographs
Architectural Strategy and Contextual Response
The master plan of Tongtai School is guided by a pedagogical progression from early childhood to adolescence. This educational sequencing is embedded in the spatial layout, where the campus unfolds from south to north, beginning with twelve independent kindergarten units and gradually transitioning to the primary and secondary school zones. This clear organizational logic establishes both clarity and continuity, offering spatial coherence to users of different ages.
Crucially, the site includes a large void left by an abandoned brick kiln, measuring over 18 meters in depth and occupying more than 15,000 square meters on the west side of the property. Rather than treat this void as an obstacle, the design team embraced it as a catalyst. The ecological restoration and adaptive reuse of the pit are not only environmentally conscious but also conceptually potent. The mine becomes a landscape feature, a spatial reservoir, and an architectural imprint. The school’s red brick construction echoes the site’s industrial past, reactivating its historical and material memory in a contemporary educational context.
Shared facilities such as the library, art building, auditorium, and outdoor sports spaces are interspersed throughout the campus. This distribution strategy strengthens inter-age connections and resists the siloing of educational stages. Instead of creating isolated zones, the design introduces overlapping thresholds that encourage visual and spatial continuity.
Spatial Organization and Sectional Complexity
Topography is not merely accommodated but actively choreographed. The design employs an east–west orientation for all major buildings, optimizing sunlight exposure across the campus. A series of half-open courtyards mediate between the east-facing athletic fields and the west-facing park, which descends into the former kiln pit. This spatial arrangement establishes an internal topographical gradient, producing sectional diversity and offering a range of spatial experiences.
The wind and rain playground and multipurpose auditorium are partially embedded in the landscape. These semi-underground structures are accessible from both upper and lower levels, allowing for fluid circulation and multi-level engagement. The east edge of the teaching buildings features stepped terraces that double as viewing platforms for the sports fields. This blurring of circulation and program reinforces the permeability of the campus and contributes to a dynamic learning environment.
Circulation corridors are designed as more than transitional spaces. They open to outdoor platforms at each end, framing views and providing passive ventilation. These connective elements encourage informal social interactions and expand the usable spatial envelope of the buildings. Rather than treating circulation as an afterthought, the project integrates it into the architectural syntax.
Material Strategy and Environmental Logic
The predominant use of red brick throughout the campus establishes both a visual coherence and a tactile continuity with the site’s past. Brick surfaces extend from exterior facades into interior spaces, creating seamless transitions that reinforce the unity of the architectural language. Beyond symbolism, the brickwork is a key component of the building’s thermal performance. The use of sandwich brick walls provides enhanced insulation, a necessary response to the region’s cold winters.
South-facing windows are recessed up to one meter and equipped with horizontal shading devices. This strategy modulates light and heat gain while increasing façade depth. The result is a refined balance between daylight access and solar control, contributing to year-round environmental comfort.
In the dining areas, the design exploits the pit’s natural depth. The cafeteria is located at the basement level, with expansive glazed openings drawing in light and facilitating cross-ventilation. The sunlit red brick surfaces warm the space during the day, generating a pleasant atmosphere that contrasts with the often austere quality of institutional dining facilities.
Scale, Belonging, and the Kindergarten Typology
The kindergarten occupies the southwest corner of the site and is designed as a more intimate enclave within the larger campus. The layout revolves around an elliptical central play area, which anchors the two-level classroom structures arranged around it. Floor heights are minimized to enhance accessibility and spatial intimacy, ensuring that the environment responds to the needs of its youngest users.
Material selection in the kindergarten further differentiates it from the rest of the campus. Heavy bamboo panels are employed across façades, rooftops, and external platforms, offering a softer and warmer material palette. The use of a consistent, environmentally friendly material reinforces a sense of unity and calm, while also supporting the sensory development of children through tactile variation.
This approach to the kindergarten demonstrates the project’s broader commitment to scale sensitivity. Within a large institutional framework, the design carves out zones of intimacy, care, and user-specific engagement. It recognizes that the architecture of education must accommodate not only different ages but also different rhythms of use, spatial needs, and psychological states.
Tongtai School in Hebei Plans
Tongtai School in Hebei Image Gallery
Credits and Additional Notes
- Lead Designer: Wang Zhe
- Design Team: Shi Wei, Wen Zewei, Gao Huilai, Han Qi, Li Hongbo, Liu Mengchen, Zhang Yan
- Owner Designers: Geng Huabin, Geng Qianqiao, Zhang Kaiyang, Mi Gean, Wu Kaipan
- Client: Ningjin Private Tongtai School
- Construction Drawing Design: NORENDAR INTERNATIONAL LTD
- Project Type: Educational Facility (Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary School)
- Site Area: Approximately 88,430 m²
