Beijing City International School – Apex Center

A school renovation project by ATDESIGNOFFICE creatively transforms a former storage space into the Apex center, featuring a mezzanine with column-free teaching area and artistic design elements.

  • area / size 3,229 sqft
  • Completed 2023
  • Location Beijing, China,
  • Renovation is a continuous challenge for schools. There are always new functional requirements during the lifespan of a school builidng. It is important to respect the existing structure and context, so that the renovation not only can be integrated as part of the campus, but also improve the teaching environment.

    The Apex center is a new space opened for BCIS to cultivate talents for the new world. This space used to be a storage space. There are large steps seating area arranged around the sunken area, as there will be robot competitions to be held here. Large drawers for storage is set up under the large steps.

    The floor slab of the mezzanine adopts steel suspension structure, making the teaching area below column free. The entire mezzanine is sprayed with blue paint, like a blue box floating in the space.

    The glass at the corner has a shade of gradient red, which activates the nearby courtyard. From inside, the colors various as the daylight changes, which is very enjoyable for the eyes

    This renovation adopts creative and artistic solutions, which inspire students to explore engineering and design subject.

    Design: ATDESIGNOFFICE
    Photography: Tony Fan