Sky Castle Kindergarten / SoBA

Architects: SoBA
Area: 10000 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Arch-Exist
Lead Architects: Wang Ruo, Tang Haiyin
Category: Cultural Architecture, Kindergarten, Public Architecture
Design Team: Li Chuanzhang, Liao Zhexuan, Xiao Yunxuan, Kong Lu
Ldi Team: Yiping Liu, Yong Gao, Lin Liu, Xia Li, Jinjing Zhang, Yongxia Yuan, Shan Wang, Biao Fang, Jun Shen
Construction Documentation Local Design Institute: Suzhou Zhongxing Huahan Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Clients: Kunshan Yinqiao Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
City: Suzhou
Country: China

Sky Castle Kindergarten education center designed by SoBA in Kunshan Huaqiao, China has redefined early childhood architecture by creating a protected, imaginative environment within a dense urban context. Conceived as a landmark for an internationally oriented district, the project uses a cluster of cloud-shaped volumes to enclose a central space that fosters exploration and creativity. Classrooms connect directly to varied outdoor courtyards, with a hyperbolic roof and all-white facade complemented by colorful rainbow paths. The eastern site organization maximizes usable space, while perimeter walls and landscaping buffer external impacts. A stepped massing strategy ensures natural light and spatial legibility, placing classrooms on sunlit edges and support functions near service zones. Parametric design guided the double-curved metal roof to balance form and constructability. The landscape includes sky-themed elements like moon and sun courtyards and a circular rainbow path. Interiors are scaled for children, with accessible features, low fixtures, and flexible gathering areas. Stakeholder input shaped the program, supported by modular construction and smart systems for energy efficiency. Rainwater reuse, graywater treatment, and biodiversity strategies enhance sustainability and microclimate regulation.

Kunshan Huaqiao, a significant area within the Yangtze River Delta, has rapidly transformed into a contemporary district shaped by openness and accelerated internationalization. The client intended to establish a landmark architectural presence that would emphasize the district’s diversity and openness while offering enriched environments for children’s education and daily life. The Sky Castle Kindergarten emerged as a conceptual design response to this vision. Inspired by the expansive and dreamlike qualities of the sky, the project was envisioned to foster a setting that supports boundless potential and discovery. Using a distinct architectural language, the design aims to stimulate children’s imagination and curiosity, turning every part of the space into a platform for self-expression and exploration.

The building is composed of a series of “cloud” forms that enclose a distinct “Sky Castle” created specifically for children. This enclosed configuration reduces the sense of oppression caused by the surrounding high-rise residential towers and provides a buffer against potential future disruptions from the undeveloped commercial plot situated to the south.

Designed around a “cloud” theme, the project incorporates multiple outdoor activity courtyards in various shapes and sizes. Each classroom, whether located on the ground floor or upper levels, is directly connected to its respective outdoor space, including ground-level courtyards and second-floor connecting corridors. The hyperbolic roof structure echoes the form of clouds, while the building’s all-white facade integrates with colorful and playful rainbow pathways. The design places careful emphasis on spatial proportions and color selection to create a functional and engaging environment suited to the developmental stage of young children. The pink staircase, while fully compliant with fire safety and evacuation standards, also becomes an integral part of the children’s imaginative experience and memory, encouraging their creativity and drive for exploration.

In addition to the required fire access routes, the design consolidates the main entrance to the kindergarten, the vehicle entrance, and the fire exit along the eastern edge of the site to optimize the area allocated for campus functions. A designated number of ground-level parking spaces are situated to the north of the main entrance, while the logistics entrance is positioned on the western side of the parking area. To minimize potential external disturbances, the southern, western, and northern boundaries of the building are enclosed with walls and landscaped zones, alongside the fire lanes.

The “cloud” clusters are arranged along a north-south axis, with elevations stepping up from south to north and from east to west. This configuration enhances natural light penetration and enables visitors to perceive the full architectural composition when approaching the main entrance. As the core functional areas of the kindergarten, the classroom activity units are placed along the southern edges of both the southern and northern building volumes to ensure sufficient daylight. Logistics and service rooms are located in building sections closer to the logistics parking area. Administrative offices are positioned near the main entrance and within the tallest block in the northwest corner. Specialized classrooms, including the multifunctional hall, reading room, and music room, are distributed at the junctions of the building volumes.

The metal roof design integrates expansive flat surfaces with segments of double-curved geometry. To manage construction complexity and control costs, parametric design was employed to refine the roof’s form. This method ensured that the curvature of the double-curved sections remained within the acceptable bending limits of the aluminum-magnesium-manganese panels used in fabrication. Coordination with the client and construction team was facilitated through model animations and partial roof mock-ups, which significantly reduced potential misunderstandings.

The design of the outdoor spaces draws inspiration from the sky, incorporating “rainbows” to complement the building’s overarching “cloud” theme. The main entrance courtyard features a semi-circular moon shape that guides visitors inward, while the central courtyard includes a quarter-sun configuration with sandpits and slides that represent rays of sunlight. A rainbow pathway begins at the main entrance, weaving through both the entrance and central courtyards, looping around the southern building block, and returning to its starting point. This continuous loop reflects children’s innate enjoyment of circular movement. A nearby rest area has been provided for teachers.

The design places strong emphasis on how the microenvironment influences children’s long-term development. It incorporates multiple step-free entrances, wide corridors, and stair railings equipped with separate handrails for teachers and children. Taking into account children’s height and behavior, the classroom unit interiors are proportioned to their scale to support independent use. Elements such as low sinks, toilets, seating, and storage cabinets are all tailored specifically to children’s dimensions.

The ground-floor classrooms have direct access to the courtyard, while the adjacent corridor space offers a transitional area for children to gather briefly and remain protected from wind and rain. The design includes a flexible and spacious multifunctional area, featuring a two-story high room capable of supporting a variety of activities. This space is adaptable for children’s artistic and athletic performances and is intended to accommodate future community events, encouraging social interaction and strengthening community ties. Throughout the design process, the client collaborated with department heads, teachers, and community members to review and refine specific aspects of the plan. This participatory approach has strengthened user ownership and ensured that the final design aligns with actual needs. To facilitate rapid construction and support a timely opening, each classroom unit was modularized. The project also integrates a smart building management system that automatically regulates lighting, air conditioning, and ventilation to enhance energy efficiency.

In response to the client’s requirement for resilience in the landscape design, the project includes a rainwater collection system for irrigating plant beds, a graywater treatment system for recycling wastewater and lowering reliance on municipal water, and features such as rain gardens. These components improve the environmental quality and help regulate the microclimate, while also minimizing stormwater runoff and promoting biodiversity within the kindergarten grounds.