School puts running track on its roof
Updated: 2014-09-02 07:37
By Yan Yiqi in Hangzhou(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
To conserve on land usage, an elementary school in Tiantai, Zhejiang province, built a 200-meter running track on the roof of its school building.
The students of No 2 Elementary School of Tiantai Chicheng district started using the track on Monday. The school has about 1,800 students.
Qiu Tianguo, the school's principal, said the track, on top of a four-story, oval teaching building, provides more than 3,000 square meters of space for students to play and exercise.
Qiu said that the school, with a footprint of 7,210 sq m, doesn't have room for a playground with a running track on the ground.
"The track on the roof perfectly solved the problem. Our students love the new track," he said.
Ruan Hao, chief architect of the teaching building, said that breaking the tradition of a running track on the ground might provide a solution for other schools with limited land.
"Under the circumstances that limited land cannot provide enough space for students to exercise in, we chose to challenge the concept that playgrounds and tracks have to be on the ground," he said.
The design represented China at the 14th Venice Architecture Exhibition this year.
Safety is the key concern with rooftop tracks. For the track in Tiantai, three protective layers will keep students safe. The outer layer is a 1.8-meter-tall, tempered glass wall that students can't climb; the middle layer is a green belt; and the inner layer is a 1.2-meter-tall stainless steel rail.
Qiu said that students using the track are accompanied by teachers, and surveillance cameras around the track will make sure there is no blind spot.
"Safety can surely be guaranteed," he said.
yanyiqi@chinadaily.com.cn
Students at No 2 Elementary School in the Chicheng district of Tiantai, Zhejiang province, use the track, which opened on Monday, on top of their school building. Sun Jinbiao / For China Daily |
Related video |
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games |
Leading leaden lives |
Former security chief under probe |
China helps fight international war on drugs |
Crackdown on terrorist attacks |
My China Story: Meeting the master |
Today's Top News
US doctor in Liberia tests Ebola positive
China's August PMI decreases, but slightly
Monopoly probes treat firms equally
Gene to fight Parkinson's discovered at UCLA labs
China's Uncle Sam ready to test US market in NYC
Beijing spruces itself up for APEC summit
New Budget Law to change the game
Microsoft asked to explain monopoly accusations
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |