A century-old elementary school in the city through the ages.
Dongguan Guancheng has been connected to the Dongjiang River since ancient times, and the city and water veins are intertwined. The name of Nguyen Chong Primary School is the same as"Water flow"Relate. In the past, boats even passed through the school gates, and some local family temples were used as teaching places. The renovation of this school in 2023 is related to the city's major projects"Dongguan memory"coincides with this, because this thousand-year-old city faces difficulties and opportunities to rethink urban revitalization. Lu Yong Primary School is the oldest primary school in Dongguan. Its renewal logic is divided into two parts: the street district and the campus district, which are driven by business and **, respectively. We were responsible for the unified planning and deployment of the project, and this time we focused on transforming the space on the street.
The dividing line between the school and the Old City is a key issue to consider. Due to the expansion of the school space in the past, the school boundary has formed an inter-embedded relationship with the residential buildings and shops. Before the renovation, there were concrete antique gatehouses on the left and right sides of the school entrance. Next to the second gate is a state-owned property from the 80s of the 20th century, with a residential building mixed with mosaics and bricks in the middle. The campus environment is complex and dilapidated, with no traces of old buildings. In line with the principle of preserving the original buildings in the high-rise plan as much as possible without altering the residential buildings, spatial improvements along the campus streets are incorporated into the city's distinctive language. It is divided into four parts:
Cultural heredity。Through the study of the shape of the Ruan Chong Primary School Temple, the spatial relationship between the gate of the ancient family temple and the street is transformed into two transitional spaces between the small and medium-sized gates. Functional connections. Through the design of the corridor, the originally completely independent building is connected and optimized in form and function. It provides an unimpeded connection to the faculty lounge, dining area, dance studio, and main teaching building.
Structural improvements。Instead of demolishing the original wall column system, we borrowed it"Ming Dynasty scholar arch"This is the only surviving ancient educational landmark in China. DongguanWe extracted a series of details from the traditional bracket structure and used wood to create a traditional atmosphere. At the same time, the old and new structures are effectively integrated. 
Material inheritance。The grey bricks used on the walls of the primary and secondary access passages are old bricks reused from nearby urban renewal projects, and the wall skirtings are made of granite with traditional local decorations. These two materials continue to be used on campus, becoming a unified language that connects the campus and beyond. Fine-grained limestone, limestone, and Western-style handrail patterns reflect the architectural features of modern coastal cities, and these local elements are also used in the design. Although the renovation of Lu Yong Primary School was completed in 4 months, it marked a meaningful continuation and transformation of the humanistic urbanism of the old city. 