NYC Kids Club, Shijiazhuang

NYC Kids Club is an early learning center originally from New York, whose curriculum is focusing on music/art classes. DU Studio was commissioned to design one of its centers, which consists of an area of 900 square meters and includes art, cooking, music, and dance classrooms, as well as two gym spaces. Through an investigation on the Chinese market and the company’s branding, DU Studio decided to push the boundaries of the traditional teaching space, and build each classroom as interactive, healthy, fun, and inspiring environment that provides unique experiences to the kids, from ages 0-3. The design language inspiration comes from Tangram, a popular game that uses multiple polygons that should be placed on specific location and orientation to perfectly complete the full composition. Therefore, the concept here was to design each room in different geometrical shapes that have been de-assembled and expanded through space; a large toy that assists playing, learning and creativity. The NYC Kids Club is located inside a shopping mall. At the entrance area, a double-layered space has been designed to be utilized by those that carry shopping carts with them When entering the front door, the visitors come across a large purple cushion stage that can be used for performances . While jumping and stepping on the soft cushion, a sensing system triggers various sounds linked to a particular theme, allowing them to create meaningful associations through of use of body movements and aural stimuli.At the center of the club, kids and visitors can view a large tree-house playground.Proceeding towards the art classroom, we find a quite transparent space, consisting of large glass partitions combined with triangular-shaped walls.Going towards the kitchen, children and visitors can witness another highlight of the NYC Kids Club. Partitions made of acrylic tubes contain fruits, intended for consumption (a healthier version than Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread house).Continuing towards the gym, the kids find small stairs that give them the opportunity to playfully climb towards it. The wall panels of the room can be re-arranged, like a big toy, according to the activities that take place.In the music classroom, the idea is to create a house that can sing.The concept of the dance classroom is to have a space that moves together with its participants. Finally, in the design of the NYC Kids Club, we have included the Five Senses Corners. These space additions are intended to enhance children’s explorative needs by triggering certain narratives and stimuli by utilizing a range of compositions of selected materials and media systems. A fundamental consideration in the approach of this project has been to perfectly balance play with learning. Students form new habits through playful interpretations and interactions (i.e., rewarding sounds when certain activities done correctly like washing hand and flushing), and learning emerges from the formation of meaningful and creative experiences; here, the design itself becomes a learning supporting agent.