Pingtung County YenPu Junior High School｜Great Banyan Art Museum

“Space is not a backdrop; it is part of the experience.”

Far in the distance, the art classroom leaning beside the grand banyan tree reveals a sign shaped like a tree made of papier-mâché—an artwork created under the guidance of art teacher Lin Su-Mei of Yanpu Junior High School. Since returning to her alma mater in 2003, she has abandoned conventional “textbook answers,” encouraging students to create public artworks and perform on stage, allowing them to express themselves through art and be moved by it. The generous shade beneath the great banyan tree has long been the best place for students and teachers to weave their aesthetic magic.

Opening the Canopy to Create a Banyan-Centered Creative Ground

Beginning at the art classroom and the banyan-tree boardwalk, the design extends inward to integrate five key functions—teaching, exhibition, activity, rest, and landscape—through a coordinated strategy of points, lines, and planes. After removing the old carport, the space beneath the banyan tree is reorganized, placing the tree at the heart of the layout. Newly added paving and steel components outline a secondary spatial layer that accommodates varied uses, while detachable metal fittings enable flexible artistic creation and performance.

A Nature-Friendly Setting Through Extended Paving and Introduced Greenery

The original concrete flooring is preserved and extended to reduce demolition and save resources. A circular paving design provides the root zone needed for the banyan’s growth, naturally forming a surrounding movement loop. Newly planted landscape greenery along the plaza perimeter enhances natural infiltration and improves drainage, effectively reducing water accumulation.