Innovative School Proposes Lush Vegetation on its Roof

The United Design Group (UDG) China recently began construction on an innovative community kindergarten in Wuxi, a city in the southern Jiangsu province. Called Xieli Garden, it's a spiraling three-storey structure whose sloping green roof wraps around a centralized courtyard. It aims to create the ideal learning environment for children by providing them with lush vegetation and a direct connection to outdoor space.

Xieli Garden resides at the corner of a busy intersection that's surrounded by high-rise apartments, so protection for the kindergartners is key. Architects placed the proposed outdoor playground and a flag-rose field at the center of the oval-shaped courtyard with the curved ramp shielding the children from the traffic and city noise. This ramp also reinforces safety by allowing quick access from the sidewalk to the third floor.

Each level of the building has floor-to-ceiling window glazing which bathes its rooms in natural light. In addition, nine rectangular skylights are placed along the green roof and add to the airy feel of the building. This impressive school is slated for completion in 2015.




United Design Group (UDG) China website
via [Inhabitat and ArchDaily]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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