At Chong Wen Kindergarten in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, New Office Works turns a circulation route into a place to play. The studio lists the project as completed in 2026. Its central move is an elevated loop that links several parts of the school while making room for activity beneath it.

The curve follows the canopies of existing trees, drawing them into the composition. An entrance canopy, a raised platform with a running track, stepped seating and the ground-level landscape work together as a connected outdoor setting. A pyramid climbing structure adds another way to move through the courtyard.

The loop gives a compact site more than one usable level. Children can run above, climb between levels and gather underneath. Its value comes from the relationship between those activities: the route is also an edge, a viewing position and a space overhead.

This is an architectural idea that can be understood without a complicated explanation. A walkway usually asks people to keep moving. Here, its position and shape give movement a larger role in the school day, connecting play with the ordinary journey between spaces.

New facade louvers provide shade and rain protection, while a flexible music space adds an indoor counterpart to the outdoor areas. The project brings these different elements into one spatial sequence rather than treating each as an isolated object.

The studio identifies Paul Tse, Evelyn Ting, Yuki Xu and Anson Huang as the project team. The published photographs show the elevated structure in use, which is important for understanding its scale. Its architectural effect depends on children occupying it, not only on the clean outline of the loop.

For school design, the project raises a practical question: how much can be gained by reconsidering the space between buildings? Chong Wen makes that in-between area the centre of its proposal, using a continuous route to connect existing features and introduce new ways of playing.

Images sourced from New Office Works’ project portfolio. The studio confirms completion in 2026; a separate source-release date and individual photographer credit are not stated on that page.