The Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China Chuen Yuen Second Primary School

Design Concept 

Originally built as a ‘village’ school in Kwai Chung, in the New Territories, CCC Chuen Yuen Second Primary School was founded in 1958 to provide primary education to neighbourhood children. The site was (and remains) barely half the size of that for a standard school, but the original design managed to contain all the essential facilities and the school has carried on its educational and religious mission for more than 50 years. 

Kwai Chung has undergone significant expansion and modernisation in recent times, including the development of massive public housing estates in the area around the school, driving the need for ever more school places. As a result, government funds were made available and CKL was appointed to rebuild and redevelop the school in the early 2000s. The practice came up with a design that pays tribute to the religious mission of the institution, most notably with the inclusion of the bell-tower, while separate entrances were incorporated to allow certain parts of the building to be used for other purposes out of school hours – the School Hall, for example, is used for religious assemblies at weekends. 

Confidently assuming an almost child-like aesthetic, the architectural composition is an active interplay of simple geometric shapes and bold colours. Playful details can be found around every corner, including floor coverings in the form of a jigsaw, a chessboard or a maze laid out in the main circulation areas. And that is not all. Other details designed to introduce fun and joy into the learning environment include a bright skylit library with a reading area large enough for spontaneous activities, while a bar-code-like fenestration pattern has been incorporated to identify the different floor levels.