Excerpt: City University of Hong Kong Dongguan by HENN is conceived as an interconnected campus that fosters interdisciplinary exchange through architecture. A defining network of bridges links every building, integrating teaching, research and collaboration. Organized along a diagonal grid and shaped by the site, the design encourages movement, interaction and shared learning, creating a cohesive environment for innovation and knowledge exchange.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Created through a partnership between the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and Dongguan University of Technology, the new CityUHK Dongguan campus integrates teaching and research while facilitating cooperation between top scientists and industry experts across the Greater Bay Area Technology Innovation Corridor. The new campus features a network of bridges linking every building. It is designed to spark interaction and interdisciplinary exchange, laying the foundation for connections that will shape the university’s future.
CityUHK helps unify the high-end research facilities of Hong Kong and the manufacturing power of Dongguan. The campus’s close proximity to the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), one of the largest scientific research projects in China, and the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, allows for close collaboration on topics ranging from neutron scattering to wearable technology.
Following its integrated approach, the university has established five major interdisciplinary research areas – ‘One Health’, ‘Digital Society’, ‘Smart City’, ‘Matter’, and ‘Brain’ – which are pursued collaboratively within shared teaching and research buildings. As part of the first campus phase, the buildings are organized along a diagonal grid and following the curve of a road running from the north to the south. The design bridges the road with an elevated platform to the eastern portion of the site, where the second phase of the campus, set around a lake, will follow.
All buildings are connected via the campus’ defining feature: the bridge network. The lower levels of all teaching and research buildings house laboratories shared by members of all faculties, providing spaces to collect data, analyze findings, and gain new insights. The upper levels offer a multifaceted learning environment – think spaces, where data is distilled into knowledge.
The bridge network links both levels, with its character ranging from narrow passageways and open foyers to expansive plazas, providing diverse spatial qualities and inviting shifts in perspective. The region’s subtropical climate enables interior and exterior spaces to merge seamlessly, creating a coherent in-between zone that encourages movement and interaction among students and staff.
Following the sloping terrain of the site, the buildings and bridges are designed to form an interconnected system that links different levels both horizontally and vertically. At the heart of the campus, the bridge network widens into a large plaza containing the Central Library, a strikingly angular design with a 40-meter cantilever. It will serve as a symbol of the university and a new landmark for the city of Dongguan.
Residential towers define the edges of the campus, offering accommodation for students and a direct connection to the surrounding landscape. Sports facilities, including a running track that winds along the green edges of the campus, offer ample opportunities for recreation.
In today’s highly interconnected world, City University Hong Kong Dongguan creates a learning environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and sparks innovation through connection – within the campus and beyond.
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