▲ Courtyard Landscape Details
The Haining International Campus of Zhejiang University spans 1,000 acres and operates on a “residential academy” model. After nearly five years of planning and construction, it officially opened on October 21, 2017.
Located on the west side of the campus near the west gate, the West Campus Academy faces the teachers’ apartments to the north across the road and borders the northern teaching area centered around the academic lecture hall to the east. The academy’s total built area is 24,949.2 square meters, with a building height of 15.3 meters up to the eaves. The structure consists of two enclosed, C-shaped, four-story buildings on the east and west sides.
Designed to accommodate both domestic and international experts and scholars for short- or long-term stays, the academy offers versatile spaces for dining, conferences, leisure, and entertainment.
▲ General Layout Plan
▲ Aerial View from the Northwest Side of the West Campus Academy
The West Campus Academy is positioned as a four-star cultural hotel. It not only meets basic accommodation needs but also reflects the campus culture of Zhejiang University and the international character of the Haining Campus through its indoor and outdoor design elements, including soft furnishings.
The challenge and starting point of this project was to appropriately symbolize and convey Zhejiang University’s history and culture, integrating the academy within the campus with a balance of visual familiarity and unique characteristics. The design seeks to harmonize rationality with emotion, reflecting the project’s identity.
▲ South Side of the Main Entrance Hall on the North Side of the Academy
▲ Indoor Space in the Lobby
▲ Indoor Space in the Lobby
From the outset, the design aimed to subtly incorporate architectural styles from various periods of Zhejiang University’s Yuquan campus. Features such as the main wall built with exposed red bricks, a sturdy stone base, traditional Chinese sloping roofs, and decorative moldings evoke deep campus memories spanning generations of Zhejiang University students.
The exterior of the West Campus Academy abstracts these elements, blending them with modern architectural techniques and construction methods to symbolically reflect the historical context of Zhejiang University’s traditional architecture. This approach fosters cultural and visual connections across different campuses.
▲ Courtyard Bird’s-Eye View
(BIM Engineer)
▲ Aerial View of the Restaurant and Courtyard on the East Side of the Lobby
▲ The Central Courtyard on the South Side of the Lobby Bar, Combined with a Panoramic Lobby Bar to Enable Outdoor Social Events or Academic Gatherings in the Sun
▲ East Entrance and Facade of the Academy
▲ Architectural Elements Continuing the Old Zhejiang University Campus Style, Including Exposed Red Bricks and Hanging Flower Doors
▲ Wall Details
▲ Details of the Hanging Flower Gate
The academy’s overall layout centers around four internal courtyards of varying sizes, designed to accommodate both active and tranquil activities. These courtyards are linked by continuous corridors, creating a dynamic outdoor space that blends diverse uses and dramatic scenes.
Carefully crafted masonry with natural color tones brings life to the surfaces of the finished bricks and red bricks. The combination of green lawns, red brick accents, and light sandstone delivers a soft yet elegant aesthetic, reflecting both the passage of time and the influence of modern construction technology.
▲ Courtyard Space Analysis
▲ Courtyard Landscape
▲ Courtyard Landscape Details
▲ Courtyard Lawn
▲ View of the Southeast Corridor from the Central Courtyard
▲ Interior and Exterior Spaces of the Corridor
▲ Deep Corridor
▲ Corridor Nodes
▲ Corridor Details
The Haining International Campus, inspired by the Western “academy” educational model, emphasizes “rationality as the main premise with natural progression” in its overall planning. The West Campus design is deeply integrated into this philosophy and stands out with distinctive features.
Maintaining consistency with the overall campus plan and inheriting the design concept of “using modern techniques with brick and stone materials to interpret classical architectural language” from old Zhejiang University buildings, the project explores and advances the design system. It evolves through a mix of explicit architectural symbolism and subtle, poetic interpretations of garden spaces, unified into a coherent whole that balances reason and emotion.
▲ Architectural Snow Scenery
▲ Southeast Courtyard of the Academy
▲ Snow Scenery along the Southeast Corridor
▲ Gallery Facade Details
Project Drawings
▲ Underground Floor Plan
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Second Floor Plan
▲ East Elevation View
▲ North Elevation View
▲ Sectional View
Project Information
Design Unit: Zhejiang University (BIM Architecture) Architectural Design and Research Institute
Address: 718 Haizhou East Road, Haining City, Zhejiang Province, China
Principal Architects: Dong Danshen, Hu Huifeng
Design Team: Peng Rongbin, Lv Ning, Xiao Zhibin, Kan Jianzhong, Wang Jinghua, Zhou Xin, Li Ping, Yang Wenzheng, Yang Yi, Diao Yuefeng, Yang Guozhong, Wang Hang, Bai Qi’an, Zhu Juanjuan, Zhang Yi, Chu Ran, and others
Client: Haining Social Construction Development Investment Group Co., Ltd
Building Area: 24,949.2 square meters
Project Year: 2017
Photographer: Zhao Qiang
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