Pingguo Football school

Setting the standard of a new paradigm in Chinese education this football-focused campus delivers the vision for a more holistic pedagogy for body and mind. Breaking with convention, sport, academia and nature are merged to bring balance to the disciplined and high-pressured classrooms found across China, with a twist. Football is at the core of the curriculum, challenging its disconnect with educational excellence. Stimulating a “healthy lifestyle zone” in the local area the huge campus, exceeding 450,000 square meters, boasts an extensive program from primary through to high school with boarding facilities as well as a dedicated football centre. The new campus and striking landscape appear seamlessly integrated. Resolving the placement of full-size football pitches on the site’s undulating contours results in the football culture being scattered throughout, reinforcing the sense of integration. The site’s characteristics determine the placement of buildings that are united by a network of weaving paths and streets, including a XXXXm running track. The outcome is a series of spaces and connections that provide opportunities for social encounters that foster curiosity and exploration