Qingdao, China
Beihang University Qingdao International Science and Education New Town is described by James Mary O’Connor and John Runle of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners as “a combination of Chinese and Western elements, echoing mountains and sea, a fusion of landscape, science, and education integration- Beihang Town, a wonder for a new century.”
The scale, scope, and vision of this new research world reach far into the future to create a dynamic engine of international research and regional development, building on the extraordinary master plan for Qingdao’s Blue Silicon Valley, and taking it to the next level.
Beihang University Qingdao International Science and Educational Town has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The physical setting of the University’s new town is equally extraordinary: a convergence of natural waterways, regional connectivity, notable topography, and coastal grandeur.
The complex interplay of natural systems and dynamic geometries offers profound inspiration for planning.
The planning method is the Braid of Natural and New Weaving or braiding the many programmatic and environmental demands into a coherent Campus-Town fabric, the architects have been most influenced by four dominant themes- each of which represents a bundle of highly desired opportunities: The Shaping Forces of Nature.
The greatest influence on the character of the place for the Beihang Campus Town is the grand set of its existing natural systems or forms.
The Hot Spring River, the Wetland Waterway, the Hilltop, and the Coastline all combine to establish an organic geometry that shapes the development of every part of the Master Plan.
The team has recognized that these are not static elements, but living systems that push and pull, ebb and flow, absorb and reflect.
They are also habitats- with a great opportunity for research as living riparian, aquatic, and marine environments.
The concept of a living laboratory can also benefit the town and campus.
The team has brought deep knowledge of the relevance of healthy environments for productivity and creativity within academic and research communities, and the plan offers opportunities to test new approaches to healthy activity, nutrition, and environmental quality.
Movement is both a dominant theme and a practical device of Beihang’s New Campus-Town.
It is deeply embedded in the nature of the site- with its convergence of rivers, flooding wetlands, and seacoast. Equally, it is a principal subject of the University’s program of research and development for transportation.
In both of these respects, the new Campus Town offers a vital opportunity for the demonstration and testing of prototypes.
The full spectrum of movement from pedestrian to regional rail is integrated into the proposed Master Plan.
The natural flow of waterways and wetlands is a grand character-giving presence that nourishes the campus environment.
Regional Scale At the regional scale the campus and town are thoroughly knitted into the larger plan of Qingdao’s Blue Silicon Valley.
Regional rail stations and major highways that meet the standards form a continuous spine of transportation.
Secondary and tertiary movement systems spring from this main armature, reaching into each functional area.
Campus Scale within the Beihang Campus itself, a variety of movement systems connect academic residential, dining, fitness, and cultural gathering.
The central Promenade linking the campus north and south provides every system from mini-streetcars to bicycles, to Segways, spanning 1.3 kilometers of length.
Broad shaded walks link east and west, with a central Waterpark Way that stretches completely across Hot Spring River, through the Town Center and Residential village, to the Hilltop.
A continuous network of smaller paths and bikeways meander through courtyards and quads to connect every building and landscape space.
This principle of movement is a driver of the conceptual design of all buildings as well.
Movement is enhanced to connect people to each other and to efficiently integrate different modes of research, learning, and collaboration.
By maintaining relatively few floors, programs and people are more easily interfaced, enhancing collaboration and chance interaction.
Open floors at multi-level atria provide visual connectivity, which also encourages movement from floor to floor.
The grand scale of Beihang’s Qingdao Campus-Town also calls for multiple centers- and centering places. Such gathering places are essential to establish shared experiences and reinforce the identity of Beihang across the many neighborhoods.
Project: Beihang University Qingdao International Science and Educational Town
Architects: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners
Lead Architects: James Mary O’Connor and John Runle
General Contractor: Beihang University Qingdao
Client: Beihang University Qingdao
Photographs Courtesy of the Architects
