In the morning of 8 September, 2023, the handover ceremony for Phase II of CUHK(SZ) was held at Liwen Hall. During the ceremony, Mr. Yao Liang, Director of the Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality, handed over the key to Professor Xu Yangsheng, President of CUHK(SZ), symbolizing the completion of Phase II construction and its formal handover to the university for use.
The primary constructions of Phase I include teaching buildings, laboratories, administrative buildings, an auditorium, a library, an indoor sports center, a student activity center, and colleges. The main constructions of Phase II include a teaching complex, a research complex, two conference complexes, and colleges.
The total construction area of Phase II is approximately 267,000 square meters. Upon its completion, Phases I and II together will accommodate a student population of 11,000, further expanding the campus, increasing the university’s capacity and capability, and advancing CUHK(SZ) toward becoming a world-class research university rooted in China with a global outlook. This expansion will provide strong talent support for deepening cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region, promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area, and driving progress in the Pearl River Delta region.
In addition, the CUHK(SZ) School of Music and School of Medicine are also under construction. Once completed, the School of Music, with a total construction area of approximately 129,000 square meters, will accommodate 1,000 students, while the School of Medicine, with a total construction area of 550,000 square meters, will accommodate 6,000 students. The university will then be able to house and educate a total of 18,000 students.
Design Features of Phase II
Continuation of the Mountain and Water Campus Concept
The design continues the spatial planning concept of Phase I, maintaining the campus axis and spatial connections while refining the landscape and transportation networks. This strengthens the functional links between spaces, fills in the gaps left by Phase I, and enhances spatial diversity through variations in building height and open and enclosed spaces.
Connecting the Campus Axis from Head to Tail
The three main groups of buildings in Phase II are located at the head and tail of the campus’s vertical axis, establishing three sequential clusters: “Entrance, Hub, and College Life.”
The teaching buildings and academic exchange center use harmonious yet distinct symmetrical forms to create the entrance plaza and establish the university’s primary urban image, with a connecting bridge serving as the starting point of the scenic axis. The research building, with its wings spread, anchors the starting area and turns toward the central campus. Ling College connects to the upper campus axis through elevated floors and, via the upper campus scenic street, linking to the plaza between 7th College and Minerva College.
Creating Comfortable Courtyards with Layered Heights
The design uses a combination of multi-story and high-rise buildings to create enclosed open spaces and varied building typologies. The teaching building features staggered courtyards of different scales, fostering communication spaces. The academic exchange center, with its higher front and lower rear wings, harmonizes with the lake, while the research building’s tiered atrium opens toward the hillside, providing ideal spaces for teaching, research, and conferences.
Incorporating Lingnan Characteristics in Line with CUHK(SZ) Spirit
The overall design connects the campus with covered walkways, blending “buildings” and “courtyards” and interacting with the surrounding “mountains and water.” This forms a “mountains, water + courtyards, walkways, and buildings” landscape scroll of a Lingnan-style campus, which aligns with CUHK(SZ)’s motto of “Through Learning and Temperance to Virtue.” It creates a friendly, harmonious, and uplifting campus atmosphere, realizing a campus ideal that integrates ecology, technology, and culture.
