讓陽光灑進來：啟明星學校D+劇院開建！

到訪校園幾次之后，負責啟明星D+劇院設計的主建筑師馬笑漪漸漸有種感覺：物理環境帶來的直觀感受正在褪去，社區里的人物倒是越發生動、立體——

“無論學生還是老師，他們平和的外表下都透出專注、快樂的勁頭和蓬勃的活力。我很希望把他們這樣的精神狀態呈現出來。”馬笑漪說，“另外，D+是小而美的啟明星校園里最大的公共設施，要實現多種用途。除了戲劇和舞蹈演出需要全黑的舞臺外，其他的用途更傾向于自然采光。為啟明星設計一座‘陽光劇院’的想法由此誕生。‘陽光劇院’不只是功能上的需要，更是為了呈現學生和老師們內心里陽光一般的溫暖和活力！”

馬笑漪畢業于清華大學和麻省理工學院，她創建的事務所10年來一直深耕教育建筑設計。啟明星充滿活力和溫情的氛圍，以及D+陽光劇院的大膽設想，促使她對傳統劇院建筑的設計范式做出多項突破：

高度靈活的空間安排突破單一的演出功能；

充足的自然采光而非倚賴人工照明；

啟明星獨有的原生態色調取代傳統劇院的明艷色彩......

效果圖

2024年春天，圖紙上的D+將逐步走進現實，預計在年底啟用。到時候，這座綜合性劇院的諸多功用會逐步解鎖，真正實現艾毅教育集團創始人、啟明星學校執行校董許尚杰的“D+”創意：

D+，代表了啟明星（Daystar），又涵蓋了美食（Dining）、戲劇（Drama）、舞蹈（Dance）、展陳（Display）、設計（Design）等內容，同時蘊含著杰出（Distinction）、多樣（Diversity）和活力（Dynamic）的期待。在上述全部詞匯中，藝術是最核心的內容。

D+首先是一所劇院，但不只是一所劇院……

核心布局

劇院

D+劇院共計400座，采用電動折疊座椅，座位寬度達到大劇院的舒適標準。當伸縮座椅堆疊起來時，觀眾廳就開放成了一個高7米、邊長16米的正方形空間，承載學校最頻繁的日常活動。觀眾廳吊頂內暗藏21個電動升降會標桿，可以根據活動需要懸掛宣傳品和藝術品。

效果圖

舞臺寬19米，進深9米，可容納30席的小型交響樂團。天幕配合20000流明的工程級投影儀，能將影像覆蓋整個舞臺，塑造宏大的演出背景。劇院將配備專業的舞臺燈光、音頻和視頻設備，支持各種類型的會議和演出。

觀眾廳兩側的外墻開啟高低錯落的玻璃窗，將陽光凝聚為一盞盞明燈。窗洞口的斜面將光線漫射到大廳里。舞臺背景墻的16米寬、5.5米高的玻璃幕墻連通南側的露天劇院。燦爛的陽光和蔥翠的樹木取代舞美，成為演出、集會和其他各類活動的背景。玻璃幕墻中間部分可以平移打開。這將是北京第一個雙向的舞臺，它聯系了室內外兩個觀眾席，將藝術與自然融為一體，實現了真正的“陽光劇院”。

效果圖

“建筑是光的設計。光線在一天的不同時辰與一年四季的細微差別，在進入和改變空間時，為空間賦予情緒。”建筑大師路易·康說。

觀眾廳吊頂、墻面的不規則形狀和各個細部的設計有效地支持聲音在大廳內的擴散和反射。對于音樂類演出，劇院可以完全支持自然聲的傳播，無需額外的擴音設備，觀眾將享受到高保真的音質。

餐廳

D+也包含餐廳，在擴容之后達到450座，可供全校師生分兩次用餐，無需長時間等候。

觀眾廳后端與餐廳上下兩層共4個門連通。在演出和活動期間，餐廳既是服務觀眾的劇院前廳，提供茶點、等候和交流設施，也是演員們的后臺，可以快速建立更衣、化妝和休息區。

最具特色的是餐廳夾層，名為論壇（FORUM），可通過活動隔段分隔為1個、2個或3個空間的不同組合，并通過屋頂的山坡造型和透聲材質營造專業的聲環境，用于課程、會議、接待、交流、排練和小型演奏會等各類活動。

獨屬于啟明星的“不一樣”

無限空間組合

啟明星的校園小而美，要求D+的功能高度集約，承載演出、集會、開放日、畢業典禮等諸多活動，所以D+采用大學里廣泛使用的電動移動座椅來實現幾乎無限的空間組合；

突破傳統的自然采光

除了戲劇和舞蹈演出需要全黑場景外，大多數活動是傾向于自然采光的。觀眾廳的立面造型和舞臺南側的玻璃幕墻引入了大量自然光。雙向舞臺的設計將室內外空間融合起來，這將是北京地區的第一個雙向的舞臺；

罕見的中性色

傳統的劇院色彩都是濃烈的，比如紅色或金色，實驗劇場可能是藍色或綠色的。而啟明星劇院還要承擔包括畫展、開放日等多種特殊用途，過度定義它的色調可能會和活動主題沖突，濃烈的色彩也和啟明星的氣質有些違和，于是最終選用的是不同于尋常劇院的原生態材質和中性色調。

效果圖

期待

D+首先是一個精神空間，協助觀眾“聯系自身的情緒，激發新的感受”。

“劇院的設計體現了卓越——啟明星的一項核心價值觀。關于劇院空間的安排和考慮、設計和使用方面的現代性和靈活性，提供了一個絕佳的場所，讓我們能夠繼續完善學校的教育，為我們的學生追求卓越提供全方位的支持。”啟明星學校執行總校長Daniel Williams說。

“劇院空間的靈活安排讓我們能夠把它應用于不只于演出的其他活動場景——比如春節慶典、冬季匯演、頒獎典禮、畢業和升學典禮，以及其他一些活動，比如宴會、畢業舞會、學生體檢和12年級學生的藝術展！”Williams校長說。

服務是啟明星重要的核心價值觀，我們樂于分享資源給所有社區成員。Daniel校長說，未來啟明星也可以在劇院場地舉辦會議或是比賽等公共活動。

這樣功能多元又獨具啟明星特色的劇院太讓人期待了！

我們盼著D+劇院早日落成！

After visiting the campus several times, Ms. Ma Xiaoyi, the Chief architect of the Daystar D+ Theater design, felt thatthe characters in the Daystar community were so vivid and unique while the physical environment of the school became a mere backdrop.

"Both the students and the teachers are happy, focused, and energetic. I'm eager to bring this spirit to life within the architecture." said Xiaoyi, "D+ is the largest public facility in the small and beautiful Daystar campus, which means its multi-use is a must.With the exception of drama and dance performances that require a dark stage, other uses favor natural lighting - therefore the idea of a 'Sunshine Theater'! It is not only a functional requirement, but also representation of the warmth and vitality of the 'sunshine' in students and teachers’ heart!"

A graduate of Tsinghua University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Xiaoyi founded Inclusive Architectural Practice, a design firm that has been endeavored in educational architecture for almost a decade. The vibrant and warm atmosphere of the Daystar community and the vision of the D+ Sunshine Theater prompt her to breakthrough a number of paradigm in traditional theater architecture:

The theater is meant for highly flexible uses rather than a single performance venue, abundant natural light rather than reliance on artificial lighting, and Daystar's unique, natural color palette rather than a traditional theater’s bright colors.

Rendering of D+

In the spring of 2024, the D+ on the drawing board will gradually become a reality, and it is expected to be launched by the end of the year.At that time, the many functions of this unique theater will be unlocked, and the "D+" idea of Jack Hsu, the founder of Ivy Education Group and the Executive Board Member of Daystar Academy, will be truly realized:

D+ stands for Daystar, and has the functions of Dining, Drama, Dance, Display, Design, and the values of Distinction, Diversity, and Dynamic. In all these terms, art is at the center.

Although D+'s key function is a theater, it can serve many different purposes ......

Core Layout

Auditorium

The D+ Theater adopts electrical retractable seating, with 400 comfortable seats in total. When the seating is retracted, the auditorium opens as a 7-meter-tall, 16-meter-long square space that can host the school's frequent daily activities. The auditorium's ceiling conceals 21 electrical signage poles for hanging banners and artwork as needed per events.

Rendering of D+

The stage is 19 meters in width and 9 meters in depth and can house a 30-seat orchestra. The 20,000-lumen engineering-grade projector with full-width cyclorama cover the entire stage with images to create a grand performance backdrop. The theater will be equipped with professional lighting, audio and video devices to support meetings and performances.

The exterior walls on both sides of the auditorium are designed with staggered windows, shaping sunlight into lamps in various sizes. The sloped forms of the window openings diffuse light into the hall. The 16-meter-wide, 5.5-meter-high glass curtain wall at the back of the stage connects to the open-air amphitheater at the south. Bright sunlight and lush greens become a setting for performances or gatherings. The middle parts of the glass curtain wall can slide open.This will be the first two-sided stage in Beijing, linking the indoor and outdoor auditoriums, integrating art and nature, and creating a true "Sunshine Theater".

Rendering of D+

"The structure is a design in light. Natural light gives mood to space by the nuances of light in the time of the day and the seasons of the year as it enters and modifies the space." said Architect Louis C.K.

The irregular forms of the ceiling and walls of the auditorium effectively support sound diffusion and reflection. For musical performances, the theater can fully support the transmission of natural sound without the need for amplifiers; the audience will enjoy a high-fidelity sound quality.

Dining Hall

After the expansion, the D+ Dining Hall will have a capacity of 450 seats, allowing the entire school to dine in two shifts without waiting.

The auditorium's back end is connected to the upper and lower levels of the Dining Hall with four doors. During performances and events, the Dining Hall acts as both a pre-function to serve the audience with refreshments and social amenities, and a backstage for the actors, where changing, dressing, and green room can be quickly established.

The most distinctive feature of the Dining Hall is its mezzanine level, named as the FORUM. It can be arranged as one, two or three spaces with combinations of movable partitions. An acoustical-friendly environment is created with the sloped forms and sound-transparent panels of the ceiling, to support seminars, meetings, rehearsals, recitals, and other social events.

D+'s Uniqueness

Unlimited Space Uses

The small and beautiful campus of Daystar requires D+ to be highly functional and streamlined, supporting performances, assemblies, open houses, graduation ceremonies, and many other events. Therefore, D+ adopts electrical retractable seating that is widely used in universities to achieve maximum flexibility.

Natural Lighting

Apart from drama and dance performances that require a dark stage, most events are inclined to be naturally lit. The fenestration of the auditorium and the glass back wall of the stage introduce lots of daylight. The two-sided stage, the first one in Beijing, integrates indoor and outdoor spaces.

Neutral Tones of Color

Traditional theaters are designed in strong colors, such as red or gold, and experimental theaters in blue or green. Since D+ will be used for multi purposes, including art exhibitions and school open houses, pre-assumed color palette may conflict with the theme of the event, and strong colors are inconsistent with Daystar's aesthetics. Therefore, different from ordinary theaters, D+ is designed with natural materials in neutral colors.

Renderings of D+

Expectation

D+ is first and foremost an art space that helps the audience "connect with their own emotions and stimulate new feelings".

"I thought the design of the theater just demonstrated our Core Value of Excellence. The thought and consideration that's gone into using that space, as well asthe design and how modern and how flexible it is, in terms of the use of the space, really gives us a fantastic area for us to continue the education and all round support for our students." said Daniel Williams, Executive Head of School.

"And the best part of the theater is its flexibility, which allows us to apply it to other events that go beyond performances-such as Spring Festival, Winter Performance, awards ceremonies, graduation and promotion ceremonies, as well as a number of other events such as proms, health checks and visual arts showcase of 12th graders!"

Service is an important Core Value at Daystar, and we are happy to share our resources with all members of the community. We can reach out to the community outside of Daystar by hosting conferences and competitions and so forth." Mr. Williams added.

We are excited to see how far-reaching and unique this theater will be!

We look forward to the completion of the D+ Theater!