由老房改造的幼儿园 / Architects’ Studio

本文由 Architects’ Studio 事务所授权mooool发表，欢迎转发，禁止以mooool编辑版本转载。
Thanks Architects’ Studio for authorizing the publication of the project on mooool, Text description provided by Architects’ Studio.

Architects’ Studio：HEI Schools Mauritius, designed by Architects Studio, was named Popular Choice Winner in the Kindergarten category at the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards. Located within the historic Forbach Sugar Estate in the north of Mauritius, the project transforms a former residential labourers’ camp, established to house the workforce assigned to the estate’s fields, into a contemporary early childhood education centre for 120 children aged 0 to 5.

The kindergarten opened in September 2025 as the first Finnish preschool in Mauritius. Its educational model is inspired by Finnish early learning principles, with a focus on play, autonomy, exploration and social development. The architecture responds to this approach by creating a campus where children move between classrooms, verandahs, courtyards and garden spaces throughout the day.

Architects’ Studio：毛里求斯私立hel学校，在第14届年度Architizer A+Awards评选中荣获幼儿园类“大众选择奖”。该项目位于毛里求斯北部历史悠久的福尔巴赫糖业庄园内，将昔日为安置庄园田间工人而建的住宅劳工营改造为一座现代化的幼儿教育中心，可容纳120名0至5岁的儿童。

该幼儿园于2025年9月开放，是毛里求斯首家芬兰式学前教育机构。其教育模式借鉴了芬兰早期学习理念，注重游戏、自主性、探索和社交发展。建筑布局呼应这一理念，营造出一个校园环境，让孩子们在一天中自由穿梭于教室、门廊、庭院和花园空间之间。

将现有场地改造为新的教育用途

Adapting an existing site for a new educational use

The project is set within a former residential labourers’ camp linked to the social and agricultural history of the Forbach Sugar Estate. Dating back to the 19th century, this type of settlement housed workers assigned to the estate’s fields, at a time when the sugar industry was one of the island’s main economic drivers. The site retains longère structures, stone walls, courtyards, shared kitchens and wells.

Rather than clearing the site, the design retains key elements of the existing built fabric and introduces new architectural additions to support the daily programme of a kindergarten. This approach positions HEI Schools Mauritius within a broader discussion on adaptive reuse architecture, heritage school design and the transformation of historic sites for contemporary public use.

The school is organised around a central garden, conceived as a safe outdoor space and the heart of the campus. Restored stone buildings accommodate classrooms, reception and support spaces, while new lightweight structures provide additional teaching areas and technical functions. The arrangement allows learning to extend beyond the classroom into shaded outdoor areas.

The longère typology, traditionally composed of elongated stone structures, provides the main architectural framework. Existing stone walls were conserved and repaired, with stones recovered from new openings reused where possible. Contemporary interventions are intentionally light, including timber structures, transparent glazing, metal roofs, shaded walkways and generous openings. At the entrance, an existing mature tree has been integrated into the building, maintaining a direct relationship with the landscape.

该项目位于福尔巴赫糖业庄园社会与农业历史相关的旧工人住宅营地。这一类聚落可追溯至19世纪，当时甘蔗产业是该岛的主要经济支柱之一，这些住宅用于安置被分配到庄园农田的劳工。场地保留了传统的长屋结构、石墙、庭院、共用厨房和水井。设计并未对场地进行彻底清理，而是保留了原有建筑结构中的关键元素，并通过新增的建筑体块来支持幼儿园的日常使用功能。这一做法使毛里求斯HEI学校成为适应性再利用建筑、遗产校园设计以及历史场所向当代公共用途转型等更广泛议题的重要实践案例。

学校围绕中央花园布局，该花园被设计为一个安全的户外空间，也是校园的核心。修复后的石砌建筑容纳了教室、接待区和辅助功能区域，而新建的轻质结构则提供了额外的教学空间和技术设施。这种布局使学习活动能够从教室延伸到遮阴的户外区域。

传统的长屋式建筑类型由狭长的石砌结构组成，构成了主要的建筑框架。原有的石墙被保留并修复，新开凿出的石材尽可能地回收再利用。当代的介入设计刻意保持轻盈感，包括木结构、透明玻璃、金属屋顶、遮阳步道以及宽敞的开口。在入口处，一棵已有的成年树木被融入建筑之中，维系了与景观之间的直接联系。

遗产与当代学习之间的对话

A dialogue between heritage and contemporary learning

The project establishes a clear relationship between the site’s existing structures and its new educational function. Restored stone walls remain visible within the learning spaces, while original openings have been preserved where possible. New glass and timber elements bring natural light into the interiors and support visual connections between indoor and outdoor areas.

Interior architecture extends this dialogue at a child’s scale. Wall features, furniture and joinery reinterpret the rhythm, arches and textures of the historic fabric. These elements create a learning environment that is both adapted to young children and connected to the character of the site.

Classrooms are designed to be open and flexible. Transitional areas encourage movement, while courtyards and verandahs provide shaded spaces for informal activities. The result is a learning environment shaped by space, light, movement and contact with nature. As a project of early childhood education architecture in Mauritius, the kindergarten demonstrates how design can support both learning and cultural continuity.

该项目清晰地建立了场地原有结构与新教育功能之间的联系。修复后的石墙在学习空间内依然可见，尽可能保留了原有的门窗开口。新增的玻璃和木制构件将自然光线引入室内，并加强了室内外空间之间的视觉连通性。

室内建筑以儿童的尺度延续了这一对话。墙面元素、家具和细木构件重新诠释了历史建筑的节奏、拱形结构与纹理，营造出既适合幼儿又与场地特色相呼应的学习环境。

教室设计开放而灵活，过渡区域鼓励活动流动，庭院和门廊则提供了遮阴的非正式活动空间。最终形成了一种由空间、光线、动线以及与自然接触所塑造的学习环境。作为毛里求斯幼儿教育建筑项目，这所幼儿园展示了设计如何同时支持学习与文化传承。

气候响应式设计

Climate-responsive design

Sustainability is addressed through passive design strategies inspired by the original camp. Cross-ventilation, deep overhangs, shaded circulation and high-level openings help improve thermal comfort and reduce dependence on mechanical cooling.

Approximately 50% of the site remains green, supporting biodiversity and outdoor learning. Rainwater harvesting and locally sourced materials further contribute to the environmental approach. The material palette, which includes stone, timber, cement, transparent glazing and metal roofing, reinforces the continuity between the retained structures and the new architectural interventions.

通过借鉴原始营地的被动式设计策略来实现可持续性。交叉通风、深挑檐、遮阳通道以及高处开口有助于提升热舒适度，并减少对机械制冷的依赖。

约50%的场地仍保持绿化，有助于生物多样性和户外学习。雨水收集系统以及本地采购的材料进一步体现了环保理念。建筑所采用的石材、木材、水泥、透明玻璃和金属屋顶等材料，强化了原有结构与新建建筑之间的延续性。

赋予历史遗址新的公共意义

Giving new civic purpose to a historic site

The transformation of the former residential labourers’ camp gives the site a new civic and educational role. A place once associated with the agricultural labour system of the sugar estate has been adapted into an environment dedicated to care, learning and childhood development.

The project also raises a broader question relevant to Mauritius: how historic sites linked to the island’s sugar estate landscape can be reused without erasing their memory. At HEI Schools Mauritius, the retained stone walls, courtyards and longère forms are not treated as background elements. They form part of the children’s everyday experience and introduce young learners to a built environment shaped by both history and contemporary life.

Delivered over nine months, from December 2024 to August 2025, the project brought together a multidisciplinary team and local craftsmanship. Through adaptive reuse, passive design and an education-led programme, HEI Schools Mauritius demonstrates how an existing heritage site can support a new model of early childhood learning in Mauritius.

前劳工住宅营地的改造，使该场所获得了全新的公共与教育功能。曾经与甘蔗种植园农业劳工体系相关联的地方，如今被重新打造为一个专注于关怀、学习和儿童发展的空间。

该项目也引发了一个对毛里求斯具有广泛意义的问题：如何在不抹去历史记忆的前提下，重新利用与岛上甘蔗种植园景观相关的遗址。在毛里求斯HEI学校，保留下来的石墙、庭院和传统长屋式建筑并非作为背景元素存在，而是融入了孩子们的日常生活体验之中，让年轻的学习者得以接触并理解一个由历史与当代生活共同塑造的建筑环境。

该项目历时九个月，从2024年12月持续至2025年8月，汇聚了多学科团队与本地工匠技艺。通过适应性再利用、被动式设计以及以教育为导向的项目，毛里求斯HEI学校展示了如何将一处现有历史遗产地转变为支持毛里求斯早期儿童教育新模式的场所。

Official project name: HEI Schools Mauritius
Location: Forbach, Mauritius
Client: HEI Schools Mauritius
Architects: Architects’ Studio Ltd
Project sector: Education
Project type: Kindergarten / early childhood education centre
Capacity: 120 children
Age group: 0 to 5 years
Educational approach: Finnish early education principles and play-based learning
Site context: Former labourers camp from 19th century within the historic Forbach Sugar Estate
Key architectural approach: Adaptive reuse, heritage conservation, climate-responsive design
Existing elements retained: Longère structures, stone walls, courtyards, shared kitchens, wells, existing mature tree
Materials: Stone, timber, lime plaster, breathable mortars, metal roofing
Opening: September 2025
Award: Popular Choice Winner, Kindergarten category, 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards
Photographer: Eric Lee