Read the Latest Issue
HD MAGAZINE
Inspiration at your fingertips
Sign up for the latest edition of Hospitality Design magazine and HD's various newsletters
DIGITAL EDITION PRINT SUBSCRIPTION NEWSLETTERS
ARCHIVED ISSUES
HD EXPO + CONFERENCE
See you in 2025!
Save the date for the industry's leading event in Las Vegas, May 6–8th, 2025
HD EXPO + CONFERENCE
        • Projects
          • Development + Destinations
          • Boutique + Lifestyle
          • F+B
          • Hotels + Resorts
          • Retail + Commercial
          • Wellness + Sustainability
        • People
          • Interviews
          • Podcasts
          • Webinars
        • News
          • Business + People
          • Boutique + Lifestyle
          • Development + Destinations
          • F+B
          • Five on Friday
          • Hotels + Resorts
          • Retail + Commercial
          • Wellness + Sustainability
        • Products
          • Accesories + Art
          • Bath + Spa
          • Beds + Bedding
          • Flooring.
          • Furniture
          • Lighting
          • Outdoor
          • Roundups
          • Surfaces
          • Technology
          • Textiles
        • Videos
          • Awards + Events
          • BDNY
          • HD Expo + Conference
          • HDTV
          • Partner Spotlight
        • Awards + Events
          • HD Expo + Conference
          • BDNY
          • HD Awards
          • HD Summit
          • HD NextGen Forum
          • HD Platinum Circle Awards
          • HD CitySCENE
          • HD Wave of the Future
          • BD Forums
          • BD Match
          • Gold Key Awards
          • Senior Lifestyle Design Match
          • Event Photos
HD MAGAZINE
Inspiration at your fingertips
Sign up for the latest edition of Hospitality Design magazine and HD's various newsletters
DIGITAL EDITION PRINT SUBSCRIPTION NEWSLETTERS
ARCHIVED ISSUES
HD EXPO + CONFERENCE
See you in 2025!
Save the date for the industry's leading event in Las Vegas, May 6–8th, 2025
HD EXPO + CONFERENCE
Follow Along
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
M
POPULAR SEARCHES
PODCASTS
WEBINARS
FURNITURE
PROJECTS
VIDEO INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
M
    
Search IconA magnifying glass icon.
  • News
    • Business + People
    • Boutique + Lifestyle
    • Development + Destinations
    • F+B
    • Five on Friday
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Retail + Commercial
    • Wellness + Sustainability
  • Projects
    • Development + Destinations
    • Boutique + Lifestyle
    • F+B
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Retail + Commercial
    • Wellness + Sustainability
  • People
    • Interviews
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
  • Products
    • Accessories + Art
    • Bath + Spa
    • Beds + Bedding
    • Flooring
    • Furniture
    • Lighting
    • Outdoor
    • Roundups
    • Surfaces
    • Technology
    • Textiles
  • Awards + Events
    • HD Expo + Conference
    • BDNY
    • HD Awards
    • HD Summit
    • HD NextGen Forum
    • HD Platinum Circle Awards
    • HD CitySCENE
    • HD Wave of the Future
    • BD Forums
    • BD Match
    • Gold Key Awards
    • Event Photos
  • Videos
    • Awards + Events
    • BDNY
    • HD Expo + Conference
    • HDTV
    • Partner Spotlight
  • Subscribe
    • HD Newsletters
    • HD Magazine – Print
    • HD Magazine – Digital
    • BD Newsletters
    • BD Magazine
Read the Latest Issue
PROJECTS: Retail + Commercial
February 1, 2022

Creatively Designed Schools Foster Learning and Community

A trio of carefully considered spaces prove education transcends the classroom

Words by: Alissa Ponchione • Photos by Francis Dzikowski, Xiazhi, Shuhe, Dera, and courtesy of the Lebron James Family Foundation

Bold colors and wide corridors facilitate informal learning environments at Tianyou Experimental Primary School in Suzhou, China

Projects:

Retail + Commercial
February 1, 2022

Creatively Designed Schools Foster Learning and Community

A trio of carefully considered spaces prove education transcends the classroom

Words by: Alissa Ponchione • Photos by Francis Dzikowski, Xiazhi, Shuhe, Dera, and courtesy of the Lebron James Family Foundation
Bold colors and wide corridors facilitate informal learning environments at Tianyou Experimental Primary School in Suzhou, China

Today, schools are more than desks in a classroom. Instead, they have become collaborative learning communities that support not only the children but also their families. That transformation includes creatively designed spaces that inspire and motivate the students and teachers alike.

When designing elementary schools, Alexandra Barker, principal of Brooklyn, New York-based BAAO Studio, approaches the design from two scales—the scale of the child and the adult instructor. “We work to build spaces that are able to be enjoyed by children while allowing for adults to supervise when necessary,” she says. The architecture firm counts a handful of schools in its portfolio, including its latest, the City Kids educational center in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The central double height space is perfect for gathering and creates a visual connection between levels of the school, which features six preschool classrooms and five afterschool rooms. Windows of varying sizes serve double duty, both to bring in borrowed light and to provide visual access for children and teachers.

City Kids in Brooklyn

Interior windows in City Kids educational center in Brooklyn allow visual access for children and teachers

At Tianyou Experimental Primary School in Suzhou, China, crafted by Shanghai- and Melbourne-based BAU, a range of colorful spaces encourage children to play and learn together by blurring the lines between formal teaching and informal learning. This is reinforced by wider corridors used for break-out classrooms and bifolding walls that allow for group instruction. Working alongside Chinese classical garden scholar, Craig Easton, a vast amount of outdoor space adds to the collaborative environment and promotes wellbeing. “Each and every rooftop is utilized as a useful space for students,” says firm founder James Brearly.

Tianyou Experimental Primary School in Suzhou, China

A circulation area in Tianyou Experimental Primary School flaunts yellow polka dots on the walls and ceiling

I Promise Village by Graduate Hotels is at the forefront of this movement. Located a few blocks away from the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, the Village provides free transitional housing for students and their families who need a safe and comfortable place to stay. “Students can continue to go to school without disruption, and their parents are able to focus on regaining their footing and housing independence without the stress of unknown living situations,” says Ruben Navarro, chief strategy officer at AJ Capital Partners.

The redo of a former historic apartment building, the design channels Graduate Hotels’ playful ethos with welcoming seating vignettes and cozy common areas. To tie it further to its mission, more than 100 art pieces from students are found throughout the residential units. “The Village is a reminder of the importance of designing with the end user in mind,” says Navarro. “[Our team] reflected their needs [while] maintaining a vibrancy and uplifting energy through the materials selected.”

I Promise Village by Graduate Hotels

I Promise Village by Graduate Hotels in Akron, Ohio provides free housing for 16 families at a time

This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2021 issue.

More from HD:
East Meets West at Lily in San Francisco
Submissions Now Open for 18th Annual HD Awards
What I’ve Learned Podcast: Erik Nissen Johansen

Retail + Commercial
Education

SHARE

em

ln

fb

pn

tw

PROJECTS Retail + Commercial

A Minimalist Retail Store Evokes Emotion Through Design

Feb 18, 2025

PROJECTS Retail + Commercial

Class Is in Session Inside This 18th-Century Barcelona Landmark

Jan 07, 2025

← Previous Project Next Project →
HD MAGAZINE
hospitality design magazine august 2024 issue product marketplace

Inspiration at your fingertips

Get the newest issue of Hospitality Design magazine

DIGITAL EDITION

PRINT SUBSCRIPTION
ARCHIVED ISSUES
HD NEWSLETTERS

Join the list

Sign up for HD's various newsletters
for exclusive weekly content
SUBSCRIBE

BD MAGAZINE + NEWSLETTER

boutique design magazine fall 2024 issue

Sign up!

Don't miss the latest from Boutique Design

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

SUBSCRIBE

ARCHIVED ISSUES

About | Contact | Buyers Guide | Advertise | Advisory Board | Sitemap

FOLLOW US ON

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

Subscribe

Emerald Logo
© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All Rights Reserved
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

Sign up to stay informed about our latest awards and events.

Follow Along
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

Sign up to stay informed about our latest awards and events.

Follow Along
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow