Yunlin County Chung-Der Junior High School｜Home Sweet Chungder

“ Wir sollten lernen, mit den Augen des Kindes zu sehen, mit den Ohren des Kindes zu hören, mit dem Herzen des Kindes zu fühlen.”

 — Alfred Adler

Chung-Der Junior High School’s special education class mainly serves students with multiple disabilities and moderate-to-severe intellectual impairments. In addition to academic learning, the school emphasizes three core areas—life management, vocational education, and social skills. Many of these students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have only a limited understanding of what “home” represents; therefore, the school aims to create a classroom with a warm, household-like atmosphere that helps students develop self-care abilities and learn to integrate into family and community life.

To Reorganize the Spatial Order and Build a Stable, Comforting “Home”

the design team redefined the layout according to teaching modes and student needs, dividing the classroom into four areas: a large group activity zone, a general instruction zone, a calming and sensory-regulation corner, and a teacher’s workspace. The large activity zone is centered around modular movable tables that support individual tasks when used separately and transform into a shared baking table when combined. The calming corner, filled with natural light, outdoor views, and relaxed beanbag seating, becomes a soft, quiet sanctuary where students can regulate emotions and engage in slower-paced learning. At the entrance, the teacher’s workspace was redesigned to support teaching and administrative tasks more effectively, with a cozy living-room-like seating area added in front to create a welcoming spot for informal conversations between teachers and students.

Throughout the redesigned space, the designers selected familiar, easy-to-use household-style furniture and fixtures—doors, handles, tables, and chairs—to create an environment that feels like “home.” This helps students practice everyday routines and acquire essential life skills, enabling them to adapt more confidently and comfortably when returning to their families and participating in community life.