In the heart of Shenzhen, Guangdong province, an educational architecture revolution is unfolding as innovative design solutions address the critical shortage of student placements in one of China’s most densely populated urban centers. The Hongling Experimental Primary School, completed in 2018 at the foot of Antuo Hill, stands as a pioneering model of high-density educational infrastructure that has captured international attention.
Architect He Jianxiang, the visionary behind this groundbreaking project, frequently returns to the school with both architectural experts and educational delegations to demonstrate how creative thinking transformed spatial limitations into educational opportunities. The school’s distinctive features include semi-underground indoor sports facilities, expansive rooftop gardens, unusually wide corridors, and sunken landscaped courtyards that collectively create an environment where children consistently choose to extend their stay beyond school hours.
This architectural achievement emerged from Shenzhen’s urgent ‘new campus action plan’ initiated in response to a severe educational infrastructure crisis. In 2017, city authorities committed to an ambitious five-year development strategy allocating 400 billion yuan ($56.3 billion) to construct 247 new educational institutions capable of accommodating 740,000 additional students. The Hongling school represents the inaugural and most influential project within this comprehensive initiative, successfully solving the complex puzzle of creating functional educational spaces within extreme urban density constraints.
The school’s open design philosophy has transformed it into a community hub that extends beyond traditional educational functions, while its innovative use of vertical and underground spaces has established new standards for urban school architecture. The project demonstrates how architectural innovation can directly address social challenges, particularly in cities experiencing rapid population growth and limited available land resources.