Architecture

Zaha Hadid Architects goes back to school with robot-made classrooms

Zaha Hadid Architects goes back to school with robot-made classrooms
The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
View 11 Images
The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
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The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
"Composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the vaults stretch and intersect to accommodate the school’s varied program," says ZHA
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"Composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the vaults stretch and intersect to accommodate the  school’s varied program," says ZHA
Lushan Primary School will serve 120 children from 12 local villages
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Lushan Primary School will serve 120 children from 12 local villages
Lushan Primary School's vaulted classrooms will be orientated to maximize natural light and frame views of the surrounding landscape
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 Lushan Primary School's vaulted classrooms will be orientated to maximize natural light and frame views of the surrounding landscape
Interestingly, ZHA plans to combine local concrete construction techniques with an industrial robot made by robotic firm Odic
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Interestingly, ZHA plans to combine local concrete construction techniques with an industrial robot made by robotic firm Odic
The Lushan Primary School project will actually include a school, a dormitory and some utility buildings
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The Lushan Primary School project will actually include a school, a dormitory and some utility buildings
Lushan Primary School's vaulted classrooms will be orientated to maximize natural light and frame views of the surrounding landscape
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Lushan Primary School's vaulted classrooms will be orientated to maximize natural light and frame views of the surrounding landscape
Lushan Primary School will serve 120 children from 12 local villages
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Lushan Primary School will serve 120 children from 12 local villages
Interestingly, ZHA plans to combine local concrete construction techniques with an industrial robot made by robotic firm Odic
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Interestingly, ZHA plans to combine local concrete construction techniques with an industrial robot made by robotic firm Odic
The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
10/11
The Lushan Primary School is slated for a rural area north-west of Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, China
"Composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the vaults stretch and intersect to accommodate the school’s varied program," says ZHA
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"Composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the vaults stretch and intersect to accommodate the  school’s varied program," says ZHA
View gallery - 11 images

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has unveiled plans for a new primary school. Consisting of large vaulted structures that promise a pleasant and daylight-filled learning environment, the Lushan Primary School in Jiangxi Province, China, will also be built with help from an industrial robot.

A rural school in China seems an unusual choice for a firm with as high a profile as ZHA. However, the school in question was established by Jinggan Yu, who is the president of the College of the Arts in Jiangxi Province. Yu is an architect and also established China's first specialist interior design company, which is very successful, and so presumably has the kind of connections required.

Assuming it goes ahead (it's not yet clear whether this is definite), Lushan Primary School will serve around 120 children from 12 local villages. The project will include a school, a dormitory, and some utility buildings. Interestingly, ZHA plans to use a robot made by Odico to speed up build time and reduce costs.

"To minimize construction time and also reduce the number of separate building elements required to be transported to the school's remote location, ZHA proposes to combine the local skills of in-situ concrete construction with new advancements in hot-wire cut foam formwork that can be prepared on site by an industrial robot to create the barrel and parabolic shaped moulds," says the firm.

The Lushan Primary School project will actually include a school, a dormitory and some utility buildings
The Lushan Primary School project will actually include a school, a dormitory and some utility buildings

The classrooms will be carefully orientated to maximize natural light and frame views of the surrounding landscape. Overhanging roof sections will help protect from solar heat gain, and the exteriors will be partly clad in ceramic tiles, which is a nod to the region's long history of producing high-quality ceramics.

Source: ZHA

View gallery - 11 images
2 comments
2 comments
Nik
They look like souped up versions of a Nissen hut, using more recently available materials. Curves are always more pleasing than straight lines, and these buildings prove the point absolutely.
ljaques
The gigantic rooms will tend to make kids uneasy, and I foresee them putting normal 7-8' lowered ceilings in most of those rooms. Cute outside, oversized inside for the small kids. The good news is that they'll have plenty of room to store things on the second floor, or hold classes up there in the light. I wonder what they sound like. The teachers won't like the brassy loudness. Many thick tapestries and carpeting will help.