Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Tres imperativos conceptos definieron el diseño del nuevo campus del Chu Hai College: el comprimido tiempo de dos años para su realización, la belleza natural del lugar -una verde colina con vistas al Castle Peak Bay en los nueva territorios de Hong Kong- y la venerable historia -a partir de 1947- de la educación multidisciplinar de Chu Hai.
El campus consta de las instalaciones de tres facultades (cada una con 10 departamentos educacionales) y dos centros de investigación sobre una superficie bruta de 28.000 m². El 75% de este espacio se concentra en dos placas paralelas horizontales, cada una de ellas de ocho pisos de altura. Las losas se proyectaron en función de la velocidad y la facilidad de su construcción: todos los elementos estructurales se ubican en el exterior liberando el suelo para obtener mayor flexibilidad.

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

By Frans Parthesius courtesy Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

By Frans Parthesius courtesy Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Site - By Frans Parthesius courtesy Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Three imperatives drive the concept for Chu Hai College’s new campus: a compressed time frame of two years for completion, the natural beauty of the site -a verdant hill overlooking Castle Peak Bay in Hong Kong’s New Territories- and Chu Hai’s venerable history (starting in 1947) of multidisciplinary education.

The campus consists of education facilities for three faculties (with 10 departments) and two research centres over a gross floor area of 28,000 m². Seventy-five percent of this space is concentrated in two parallel horizontal slabs, which are each eight stories high. The slabs are conceived with speed and ease of construction in mind: all structural elements are on the exterior, liberating the floor plane for ultimate flexibility.

The slabs are connected by a ‘mat’ of stairs and platforms that criss-cross between the buildings, acting as a circulation space for the campus and following the natural slope of the site towards the sea. Campus life is concentrated on the mat, which facilitates encounters between staff and students from different departments and offers views of the sea, the surrounding hills, and also, thanks to the aerated facades of the slabs, into the inner life of the college itself.

Beneath the mat, the ‘plinth’ runs between the two slabs, beginning at ground level and rising to the fourth floor. It is a multi-level network of intricate spaces – in contrast to the simplicity of the slabs – including a cluster of four lecture theatres, a cafeteria, gym, and, at the core of the college, the library.

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Section - Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)

Chu Hai College Campus in Hong Kong

Section - Image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)