The first phase of Westlake University in Hangzhou has been completed,
HENN completed the first phase of Westlake University in Hangzhou, China, last month.
A grand ceremony was held in the presence of high-ranking government officials and academics on October 27.
HENN’s ambitious proposal for Westlake University cements China’s position as a world leader in scientific and technological research.
The world-class research institution will be established in two phases:
the first in the fall of 2021 and the second in 2022.
It will house state-of-the-art academic
facilities, laboratories, offices, sports facilities, retail, restaurants and housing for an international body of students and faculty.
HENN’s design for the Westlake campus addresses a range of scales and needs,
from individual buildings to a master plan of the urban scale.
The site is defined as a series of concentric loops that organize the campus both physically
and conceptually: the academic loop, the aquatic loop, and the living loop.
The first phase of Westlake University in Hangzhou has been completed
Each discipline, such as medicine, biology, science, and computer science, is located in a separate building.
It consists of rectangular glass volumes intertwined with stone frames,
and the buildings seem to hover above the ground.
Each building is also uniquely designed with colorful accents and custom mullion patterns.
These articulated courtyard buildings were also hung like beads on the academic ring bracelet,
in order to promote interdisciplinary exchange.
The Academic Circle is the dense intellectual and social center of the university,
and the dynamic double-height space provides panoramic views through and within the buildings that connect to it.
Its circular shape contains public spaces, meeting spaces, seminar rooms, and laboratories.
In the center of the ring is the central garden of the university,
which is a beautiful garden for seclusion, meditation and social interaction.
The sanctuary is surrounded by a quiet waterway, linked by 12 walkways for pedestrians and vehicles.
Bridges also connect the campus to the green living ring
where the independent residential buildings for students and faculty are located.
Shops, restaurants, and sports facilities surround the outside, which turns the campus into a bustling city.
HENN is currently designing the German Language Forum in Mannheim,
and the company has won a competition to design a new office building at Bürenerge Hub in Jülich, Germany.
Westlake University
It is a new institution of higher education, and a world-class, private, research-oriented university.
Westlake University’s future mission is to put China on the international map for science and technology research.
Being a vibrant and active research environment day and night, each school will have a building with a distinct identity,
grouped together to maximize communication, exchange of ideas and innovation.
All schools are connected to a unified academic circle building.
This building houses programs such as social and meeting spaces, seminar rooms and laboratory areas.
The water ring is a dense core of the academic circle and school buildings.
Westlake University is a place where students, faculty and researchers can lead productive and rich lives.
They will bring their different backgrounds and experiences together to form a global research institution.
