Landscape Design for the Buchon Special School

부천특수학교 조경설계

This landscape design was proposed for the Buchon Special School Competition, held by the Kyonggi Province Office of Education. The authors collaborated on this design and won first prize in November of 2001. In the design proposal, on the basis of the knowledge of; mentally retarded children the children's activities, nature and health, and the healing gardens, the special school outdoor spaces were designed to meet the particular needs of the users. The school outdoor spaces are design for various types of users-children, adolescents, parents, siblings, staff, volunteers and visitors. The following are some of the basis concerns in the design of the school outdoor spaces : garden site planning, garden location, security, microclimate, entering and exiting, accessibility, usability, user group territories, supervision, attracting trained volunteers, a range of high-quality social settings, accommodation of different student types, accommodation of needs for both challenge and rest, child nature interaction, diversity of natural settings, hands-on activity, integrating the arts, and maintenance. The following are some of the major features in the design of school outdoor spaces : pleasant and inviting entry areas, sports grounds with different levels of challenge, gardens with plants having strong fragrances and/or tactile qualities, resting places with many types and forms of seating and weather-mitigating features, play grounds for all student types, roof gardens for users to experience nature in man-made environments, and walkways and winding paths with various trees, shrubs and flowers. In the special school outdoor spaces, people would perceive a unique sense of place through the various types of spaces and features described above. An example of the true meaning of a playing and resting place and a restorative and therapeutic environment is provided in the school outdoor spaces.