Hidden Valley Hexagonal Green Building: One of the Top 100 Unique and Stylish Elementary Schools

By MOOK Scenic Spots’ Christopher | Reported & Compiled    Photos Provided by Let’s Go Out and Play on Our Day Off

Taiwan’s unique school campuses are becoming increasingly diverse, offering students richer learning environments. Located in Hualien and nestled deep within Taroko National Park, Xibao Elementary School is not only the only elementary school inside the national park, but also the first in-system forest experimental elementary school. Having won Taiwan’s Architecture First Prize and been selected as one of the Top 100 Unique Elementary Schools by a weekly magazine, Xibao Elementary School has no walls—the entire mountain forest is its campus. Its unique geographical location and diverse cultural background make it the only elementary school in Hualien County that implements a dormitory-based system, where teachers and students live and learn together as one big family.

The campus adopts a courtyard-style design, with the main building featuring a hexagonal green roof. The design was inspired by observations and suggestions from Xibao’s students. With many bees flying around the campus, the school building was designed to resemble a beehive, symbolizing a big family and teamwork.