Located at the gateway of Hangzhou Cloud City, a 54-class, nine-year (primary and junior secondary) school will be built atop the Hangzhou West EMU Depot – one of China's earliest school projects constructed over a high-speed rail depot. GOA (Elephant Design) won the design bid for this school site in March of this year.

The entire school sits atop the 10-meter cover slab of the Hangzhou West EMU Depot, facing challenges common to such over-depot developments: a long, narrow slab form and disconnection from the surrounding environment. Therefore, guided by the planning vision of "Station-City Integration, Station-School Synergy, and City-School Symbiosis," the design first aims to bridge environmental divides and stitch together urban spaces. It connects the campus with the multi-dimensional public spaces and intricate pedestrian systems within the over-depot development zone.

Louis Kahn once said, "A school began with a man under a tree... sharing his understanding." Inspired by this notion, the school's design concept follows the narrative of "Running in the Woods – Learning in the Woods – Growing in the Woods." It employs the imagery of trees and forests to create a campus immersed in nature, one that sparks learning creativity and cradles memories of growth.

Landscaped terraces, resembling intertwining roots, cleverly bridge the 10-meter and 16-meter cover slabs. The main circulation paths stretch like branches, connecting various functional spaces. Teaching areas and public spaces interlace like twigs and foliage, forming a cohesive canopy. Sustainable strategies—including passive shading, vertical greening, sponge city principles, rain gardens, and photovoltaic roofing—enable the campus buildings to achieve energy self-sufficiency while integrating ecological education into everyday settings.