stacked color blocks form a modular castle-like kindergarten in china

stacked volumes shape central courtyard at Block Kindergarten

Block Kindergarten by SoBa Architects is located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China, within a dense urban environment defined by residential towers and municipal infrastructure. Positioned east of Hongqi Road and north of Zhenchuan Road, the 9,012-square-meter campus is planned as a 21-class kindergarten and responds directly to the site’s spatial constraints through a combination of enclosed architecture and layered landscape design.

High-rise housing surrounds the site to the north and east, while a substation, waste transfer station, and emergency medical center occupy the southern edge. In response to these conditions, the project establishes a protected internal environment for children while gradually introducing visual connections to the surrounding city and natural landscape. The building mass is shifted northward to create a dense green buffer along the southern boundary, using landscape as a spatial and environmental filter between the kindergarten and adjacent infrastructure.

The architectural composition is informed by the logic of modular blocks. Stacked and shifted volumes generate a layered arrangement resembling a fragmented castle-like structure, establishing both spatial clarity and varied outdoor conditions. The enclosed layout forms a central courtyard that functions as the primary outdoor environment for play, movement, and daily activities. Openings within the southern facade introduce staircases and transparent glass volumes that interrupt the enclosure and frame selective views toward the city, sky, and surrounding trees. These visual corridors maintain the privacy of the courtyard while allowing children to remain aware of the larger urban environment beyond the campus.

West Semi-Aerial View | all images by ©Wen Studio

light, color and courtyards shape sensory learning environment

Color is treated as an integral spatial element throughout the project by Studio SoBa. Variations in saturation and brightness help differentiate circulation areas, classrooms, and shared spaces while supporting sensory perception and orientation. The design references ideas associated with emotional architecture through the coordinated use of light, color, and scale to shape atmosphere and spatial experience.

Natural light enters through courtyards, corridors, and glazed openings, creating changing interior conditions throughout the day. The building is organized along a north-south orientation, with lower volumes positioned to the south and taller volumes to the north. Classroom wings are placed along the perimeter to maximize daylight access, while service spaces occupy the western side of the campus. Administrative functions are located on upper levels, and shared programs, including the multipurpose hall, reading room, and music room, are positioned at intersections between building volumes. At the center of the campus, the courtyard integrates play areas, gardens, and landscaped zones organized around a planetary diagram inspired by the solar system. Radiating orbits structure different activity spaces while reinforcing the project’s educational relationship with nature and environmental observation.

Additional landscape elements support ecological learning. A planting garden in the southeast corner allows children to observe seasonal growth cycles, while a rain garden in the northeast collects stormwater and introduces environmental processes into the daily experience of the campus. Through its combination of modular architecture, enclosed courtyards, layered landscape buffers, and sensory spatial strategies, Block Kindergarten by SoBa Architects creates an educational environment that mediates between urban density, nature, and childhood perception.

Northwest Aerial View_Rooftop Activity Area