Flying Chess Kindergarten / VIASCAPE Design

Architects: VIASCAPE design
Area: 2800 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: CreatAR Images
Lead Architects: Sun Yijia
Architects Team: Ma Li, Wu Tingting, Ma Qiao, Ji Yuwei, Yao Weiyan, Lv Zihan, Zhou Mi
Design Team: Ma Li, Wu Tingting, Ma Qiao, Ji Yuwei, Yao Weiyan, Lv Zihan, Zhou Mi
LDI: Dongda Design Group
Contractor: Shanghai Dexin Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Nannong Greening Engineering Co., Ltd.
Operational Management: Science and Technology Kindergarten of Shanghai
Quality and Safety Inspection: Shanghai Zhongcehang Engineering Checking Consulting Co., Ltd.
Client: Xuhui District Education Bureau, Shanghai
City: Shanghai
Country: China

Flying Chess Kindergarten reimagines an existing campus in Shanghai as an immersive outdoor learning environment shaped by themes of nature, science, and play. The design builds on the kindergarten’s pedagogical focus by transforming its grounds into a sequence of interconnected paths and activity zones that communicate ecological systems, seasonal rhythms, astronomy, and physical movement. Rooted in habitat-sensitive thinking, the project extends VIASCAPE’s research in urban nature by incorporating observation points, restored plant communities, and child-scaled encounters with natural processes. A modular spatial system structures the site, ranging from large grids that guide circulation to smaller components that create varied topographies and play opportunities. This organization supports flexible exploration while addressing the constraints of a compact urban kindergarten. The resulting landscape invites children to test physical skills, navigate spatial relationships, and discover scientific ideas through direct experience. By integrating education and environment so closely, the design positions the kindergarten as a model for how outdoor spaces can meaningfully contribute to early childhood development in dense city settings.

Flying chess kindergarten / viascape design

The kindergarten’s transformation grew from an unexpected but consequential relationship between the design team and the teachers who repeatedly visited Tianlin Park, a nearby project recently completed by VIASCAPE. Their visits revealed a shared interest in natural habitats as living classrooms, prompting a collaboration that moved beyond conventional playground upgrades. When VIASCAPE introduced the kindergarten staff to its approach toward urban habitat design, the exchange established a common framework for rethinking the outdoor environment as both an ecological resource and a catalyst for learning.

Initial site investigations underscored the value of preserving existing landscape components while clarifying how the outdoor setting could reflect the kindergarten’s emphasis on nature awareness, science, and sports. The design team synthesized these priorities into the idea of an outdoor learning space, anchoring the renewal strategy in habitat creation and a carefully restructured site plan. The Flying Chess game offered a graphic and organizational prototype that could be adapted to the campus, yielding a system of four colored paths that communicate distinct themes. Each path supports a different facet of the curriculum, from athletic development to ecological relationships, astronomical concepts, and seasonal understanding.

The edges of the site became important locations for habitat restoration, where optimized understory planting and observation points supply opportunities for structured and informal environmental education. These interventions draw directly from VIASCAPE’s earlier work while interpreting the kindergarten setting with greater intimacy and child-focused detail.

Modularity serves as the project’s spatial backbone. A two-meter square grid organizes circulation and activity areas, while smaller modules introduce height changes and textural diversity. This strategy not only supports efficient construction but also produces a wide range of spatial experiences, including stepped seating, play pockets, and individualized learning niches. The principle extends to elements beyond the core site, such as vegetable planters designed with rainwater-harvesting capabilities, blending environmental function with hands-on learning.

At the center, overlapping modular scales create a versatile activity ground that accommodates mazes, ball games, and group exercises. An existing play structure was reinterpreted as the Solar System Gravity Field, using parametric geometry to illustrate planetary movement and gravitational dynamics in a tactile way. The four thematic paths loop through the campus and converge at this hub, establishing a coherent circulation network that also supports cycling and balance-bike practice.

Throughout the design process, VIASCAPE reinforced its commitment to enhancing personal growth through landscape. Here, that aim is expressed through spatial clarity, thematic legibility, and child-centered flexibility. The Flying Chess layout offers a foundational structure that helps children understand patterns and relationships intuitively, while the varied paths encourage curiosity across physical, ecological, and scientific dimensions. Through this integration of learning and landscape, the project aspires to nurture a generation shaped by exploration, environmental awareness, and a strong connection to the world around them.