Original Article

The application of sustainable concepts of courtyard in the architectural design of urban primary schools

¹ Sanjiang University, Nanjing 210012, PR China
² Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, Macau 999078, PR China

^* e-mail: artshirui@126.com

Received: 21 January 2025
Accepted: 21 August 2025

Abstract

Sustainability in urban primary school architecture remains a complex challenge, with existing research having largely focused on materials energy efficiencies, and structures, while neglecting spatial theory. This paper, rooted in Peng Yigang's Architectural Space Combination Theory, defines “spatial sustainability” as three dimensions: Sustainability of capacity, Sustainability of form, and Sustainability of quality within the enclosed space. By analyzing the Sino-German collaborative “New City Four Primary Schools” project as a case study, the research examines the design principles and concepts to explore how the courtyard concept achieves spatial sustainability. Adopting a method of case-based analysis integrated with the “Architectural Space Combination Theory”, this study defines the unique sustainable features of the courtyard concept and proposes a new integrated framework for its sustainable spatial design. This framework aims to integrate the courtyard concept's sustainable learning space philosophy into urban primary school architecture, offering a clearer understanding of spatial sustainability and practical guidance for educational building design.