Chung Cheng Elementary School, Penghu County｜Smile Square

Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.

— Friedrich Froebel

Rediscover Children's Laughter and Memory at Smile Square

Smile Square had always been the most popular paradise on campus, where friendships and bonds were made. Regardless of games during breaks, or outdoor classes, when students slided down the slide, the square was filled with smiley faces and sounds of joy. However, due to regulatory amendment, the slide had to be shut down for safety reasons; the white mesh not only covered the surface of the slide, but also concealed the laughter and memory of students of Chung Cheng Elementary School. 

The target was simple, to bring back laughter to this square. The design team transformed the steps between the slides into a larger slide and the old slides into a climbing slope, where children can engage in physical activities; the team also created perceptive distance for safe activities by installaing a sufficient cushion and a smiley visual image of an upward curve. While adhering to safety regulations, the design team has given Smile Square that carried the sentimental memories of generations of teachers and students a new life, so it can carry on the memories of everybody, and built a new paradise for the students to play, attend classes, and hold assembly, rediscovering the laughter and memory of children at Smile Square.