ShanghaiTech University Graduate Student Housing

Located on a prominent site adjacent to two of Shanghai’s principal connections to the Pudong-Shanghai International Airport, and centered within the Zhang Jiang Science and Technology Park, the new campus for Shanghai Technology University will become an iconic symbol of the region’s exciting growth in the high-tech field while simultaneously creating an innovative, memorable and humane place for study and research. Comprising a total of 813,000 square meters of residential, academic, retail, and mixed-use buildings on a site of 51.71 hectares, the new University is envisioned to become a vibrant hub of activity bringing students, faculty, administration, as well as business and research leaders into joint entrepreneurial pursuits furthering the richness of the campus experience.

Residential Housing Elements

The project includes approximately 3,000 residential units accommodated in Graduate Student Housing buildings (132,000 square meters), Faculty Staff Housing (80,000 square meters), and Undergraduate Student Housing (30,000 square meters). The buildings are configured as shifting “bars” on the east side of the campus. Each bar comprises two hinged wings. The western ends of these bars are cantilevered above the retail/dining commons below, to form an engaging ensemble along the Village Promenade. Each residential building incorporates a series of lounges, social stairs and other shared common spaces that are expressed as ”glassy lanterns” on the facades.

Our design approach for the exterior façades creates an innovative, cost-effective system while achieving an elegant, sophisticated character with depth and texture for the elevations. A further goal is to integrate the many air conditioning units as aesthetic elements within the façade design itself. Screen panels and balconies are incorporated in syncopated patterns, creating a richly-varied, three-dimensional quality to catch the sunlight, enhance an engaging play of shadows throughout the day, capture a dynamic sense of movement, and evoke a warm, human-scale quality for the buildings.