Back to projects

An Australian University Campus

A Campus for the Future of Learning

Sector
Education
Type
Learning
Location
Hong Kong
Rotate Rotate for image-only view

An Australian University Campus

A Campus for the Future of Learning

This New South Wales-headquartered institution is ranked amongst the 20 Best Modern Universities in the World (‘QS Top 50 Under’). One Space were commissioned in 2018 for Architectural & Interior Design Consultancy from Concept through Tender Documentation, as well as Acoustic, MEP & Lighting Design.

Prior to our appointment, the Schedule of Accommodation was based on the prevailing pedagogy in Hong Kong at the time. But so rapid were tertiary education behaviours changing that by the time the building was to be completed, pedagogies & learning models would likely have moved on. We and the project sponsor identified this gap, and strategised to create a framework that could evolve from formal classroom settings towards more informal, blended and hybrid learning styles.

These newly emerging pedagogies, and how they are being adapted and embraced by Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese students – presaging the seismic disruption of Covid-19 – were the primary drivers for our design. Our work therefore included facilitating Faculty & Student Workshops aimed at defining an aspirational student experience that aligns with the University’s global and regional teaching models.

The Campus occupies complex, irregularly-shaped floorplates spanning three floors of the podium of a commercial development that had not yet been constructed. Our scheme establishes a Main Street central artery within an artificial-skylighted void that anchors campus life and generates an intuitive wayfinding and navigation spine from which informal learning, social activities and multipurpose spaces branch.

Flanked by two rail lines, our project is inextricably intertwined with the structure & systems of the commercial development, and so our close coordination with the building’s owners and shell-&core architects was essential to success. This project is currently under construction.