Chiayi County Taihe Elementary School｜In Mountain Winds Chiayi

Taihe Elementary School is located in Meishan Township, where the local tea industry has a history of over 30 years. The tea ceremony classroom that had been devastated by Typhoon Morakot was old and humid, and was also being used as a warehouse and classroom of nature, social studies, and arts and crafts. The classroom was crowded and the traffic flow was messy; when children went to get hot water, they either bumped into others or knocked over tea ware on desks, and the classroom was no way near the ideal tranquil and elegant space of tea ceremony. 

The design team first extended the space of the classroom to the hallway, and connected it with the playground in front, drawing sunlight into the teaching space. Utilizing foldable screens, the design team added flexibility to the space, as teachers can make adjustments according to actual teaching needs. Japanese curtains are used to conceal storage spaces at the front and rear ends of the room, where instruments and equipment can be stored in an organized fashion. Moreover, simple plywood boards and hollow boards can be used to isolate two smaller spaces in the classroom, where teachers and students can spend some alone time here in tranquility, enjoying some quiet and calming time of the tea ceremony class.