A conceptual kindergarten in China's terraced landscape reimagines rural education through ecology, architecture, and community

Greenterrace Kindergarten, a conceptual educational project located in Yunnan Province, China, has been named the Jury Winner in the Institutional – Unbuilt (Schools & Kindergartens) category of the 2026 Architizer A+Awards.

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Designed by architects Chen Yang and Liwei Guo, the project presents a new architectural model for early childhood education by integrating local agricultural landscapes with learning environments. Organized by Architizer, one of the world's leading architecture platforms, the Architizer A+Awards recognizes outstanding architecture and design projects from around the globe.

A Kindergarten Inspired by Yunnan's Terraced Landscape

Located within the iconic terraced fields of Yunnan, Greenterrace Kindergarten is an unbuilt proposal that transforms the stepped agricultural landscape into an educational environment. The layered architectural form incorporates classrooms, activity spaces, farmers' rest areas, rooftop playgrounds, and ecological learning platforms into one continuous spatial experience. Rather than separating education from everyday rural life, the project encourages children to engage directly with agriculture, seasonal change, and the surrounding community. The architecture functions as an extension of the landscape, creating opportunities for learning through movement, observation, and interaction with nature.

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Sustainability as an Educational Tool

Environmental responsibility is embedded throughout the design. Passive environmental strategies—including natural ventilation, solar energy, mist irrigation, and rainwater recycling—reduce ecological impact while making sustainable systems visible and accessible to young learners. Instead of treating sustainability as invisible infrastructure, the project transforms ecological technologies into part of the educational experience, allowing children to understand environmental processes through everyday activities.

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

International Recognition Through the Architizer A+Awards

The Jury Winner distinction represents the highest recognition within each Architizer A+Awards category. Professional jurors first select five finalists before choosing a single project as the category winner based on design excellence, innovation, cultural relevance, and contribution to contemporary architectural discourse. Greenterrace Kindergarten was recognized for proposing a new vision for rural educational architecture while demonstrating how design can strengthen cultural continuity, environmental awareness, and community resilience.

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Photo credit: Chen Yang, Liwei Guo

Chen Yang・Liwei Guo

Architectural designers Chen Yang and Liwei Guo explore the relationship between cultural context, spatial experience, ecological design, and community-oriented architecture. Their work spans public space, landscape integration, adaptive reuse, and socially engaged architectural design. Through research-driven and context-sensitive approaches, they develop innovative proposals that respond to environmental responsibility, cultural continuity, and the evolving needs of contemporary communities. Greenterrace Kindergarten's recognition as the 2026 Architizer A+Awards Jury Winner further highlights their contribution to contemporary architectural thinking and educational design.