Safe, Survivable, Sustainable Grade School Celebrates Opening in Central-China
CHONGQING, China, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- A new safe and sustainable New Jindai Elementary School for 540 children, survivors of the devastating May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, officially opened here today.
Liangping County suffered the greatest destruction and loss of life in Chongqing as the result of the massive earthquake that hit in 2008. More than 80,000 people perished and thousands of schools crumbled or were deemed unsafe to inhabit as a result of the disaster.
Occurring on the eve of the third anniversary of the earthquake, the opening ceremony for the New Jindai Elementary School began with a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the tragic earthquake. The event was attended by the faculty, students and community members of Jindai Township and Liangping County, in addition to officials from Chongqing Municipality and dignitaries from both countries including representatives from China's central government and the US Consul General in Chengdu.
Built within a short walk to the old school and using in part recovered material from the original structure, the prototype school was designed through the collaborative efforts of architects, seismic engineers, energy experts and developers from China and the United States.
Sponsored by Liangping County and the China-US Center for Sustainable Development, the $2.5 million schools received significant support from the China Institute in America, Walmart China, and the Walmart Foundation, Walmart Global Sourcing Employees Fund and the Soong Ching Ling Foundation with the Kobe Bryant China Fund.
According to Ed Chan, president of Walmart China, "The physical and emotional devastation felt by hundreds of thousands of China's young from that earthquake is incalculable and unimaginable. This school sends a message to them of hope and reassurance. It provides a safe harbor. It says to China's earthquake children that despite the horror, life can and will get better. It begins to paint a picture of a promising sustainable future. "
Everything from its beautiful setting and its safety and environmental features to its place as a community center, speaks to how special this school is.
The attention to detail, the quality, the seismic resistant construction, the design in harmony with the slope of the grounds, the produce garden, the rain-water capture system, the black water processing, the light and openness provided by the angled ceiling are among this school's features.
According to Dr. Gary Dirks, Chairman of the China U.S. Center's US Board of Councilors, Every brick, every stone, and every tile of this school reflects the heart, passion and talents of a great number of people."
The school is the first of what is hoped to be many other safe and sustainable schools throughout China.
Dirks further stated that "unfortunately, there is no shortage of catastrophe, calamity and devastation, both natural and manmade. We wanted to build a prototype that could serve as a learning hub for safe, healthy and sustainable schools around the world."
