In early September, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) officially opened its new, KPF-designed campus in Nansha, Guangzhou (GZ). The carbon-neutral-ready campus was planned, designed, and built in three years’ time, with a project team comprising over 70 architects and planners across KPF offices in New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The project’s first phase includes nearly 6 million square feet (about 550,000 square meters) for over 4,000 graduate students and 400 faculty members. It provides research facilities for subjects such as robotics and autonomous systems, smart manufacturing and transportation, microelectronics, and atmosphere and ocean systems.
Rather than following a traditional academic structure based on schools and disciplines, HKUST(GZ) centers around a project-based learning model that encourages multi-disciplinary interactions. The campus features eight research and lab buildings, connected by shaded arcades, and a full range of teaching spaces, including seminar classrooms, labs, large lecture halls, maker spaces, and collaborative workspaces.
“Landscape and building spaces come together to create an atmosphere where scientists will be energized and inspired to innovate,” James von Klemperer, KPF president, said in a statement.
From day one, HKUST(GZ) achieves a 54 percent reduction of carbon emissions, with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality before 2060. The plan’s environmental and resiliency measures have been designed for Guangzhou’s hot, humid climate and the rapidly urbanizing area’s flooding, seismic, and climate change risks.
When complete, the campus will accommodate more than 10,000 students and faculty. And it will integrate teaching and learning facilities with housing, neighborhood and campus retail, student life programs, administration, hotel, office and incubator spaces, and athletics facilities.
The HKUST(GZ) campus adds to KPF’s portfolio of research, innovation, and academic facilities around the world, including the CUNY Advanced Science Research Centers in New York City, the University of Michigan’s Detroit Center for Innovation, and NYU’s new Qiantan campus in Shanghai.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Design architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)
Architect of record: SCAD (Architectural Design & Research Institute of South China University of Technology Co.)
MEP engineer: ARUP
Structural engineer: ARUP
Landscape design: James Corner Field Operations
General contractor/construction manager: central hub: China Railway First Group Co. and China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Group Co.; other areas:
Canton One Construction Group Co. and Guangzhou Construction Engineering Co.
Related Stories
| Dec 28, 2014
6 trends steering today's college residence halls
University students want more in a residence hall than just a place to sleep. They want a space that reflects their style of living and learning.
| Dec 2, 2014
Nonresidential construction spending rebounds in October
This month's increase in nonresidential construction spending is far more consistent with the anecdotal information floating around the industry, says ABC's Chief Economist Anirban Basu.
Sponsored | | Nov 26, 2014
What’s in a coating?
A beautiful coating on metal products can make a strong statement, whether used on a high-end commercial project or an industrial building. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Nov 18, 2014
New tool helps developers, contractors identify geographic risk for construction
The new interactive tool from Aon Risk Solutions provides real-time updates pertaining to the risk climate of municipalities across the U.S.
| Nov 17, 2014
Nearly two years after Sandy Hook, the bloodshed continues
It’s been almost two years since 20 first-graders were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but these incidents, both planned and random, keep occurring, writes BD+C's Robert Cassidy.
| Nov 10, 2014
5 guiding principles for solving airflow issues in open-plenum office spaces
Although architecturally appealing, exposed ceilings can create unwanted drafts and airflow problems if not engineered correctly. McGuire Engineers' Bill Stangeland offers tips for avoiding airflow issues on these projects.
| Nov 7, 2014
Arts college uses creative financing to build 493-bed student housing
Many states have cut back funding for higher education in recent years, and securing money for new housing has been tougher than ever for many colleges and universities. A recent residence hall project in Boston involving three colleges provides an inspiring example of how necessity can spawn invention in financing strategies.
| Nov 7, 2014
Prefab helps Valparaiso student residence project meet an ambitious deadline
Few colleges or universities have embraced prefabrication more wholeheartedly than Valparaiso (Ind.) University. The Lutheran-based institution completed a $27 million residence hall this past summer in which the structural elements were all precast.
| Nov 3, 2014
An ancient former post office in Portland, Ore., provides an even older art college with a new home
About seven years ago, The Pacific Northwest College of Art, the oldest art college in Portland, was evaluating its master plan with an eye towards expanding and upgrading its campus facilities. A board member brought to the attention of the college a nearby 134,000-sf building that had once served as the city’s original post office.
Sponsored | | Oct 29, 2014
Historic Washington elementary school incorporates modular design
More and more architects and designers are leveraging modern modular building techniques for expansion projects planned on historical sites. SPONSORED CONTENT
