In August 2025, CUHK(SZ) School of Music officially opened its new campus, marking a new phase in the university’s development. Construction of the project began in October 2022, and after a nearly three-year construction period, the main structures have been completed and are now operational. With the exception of the Performing Arts Center, six main buildings were successfully completed and delivered in August this year. The opening of the new campus concludes the School of Music’s four-year operation from a transitional site. Faculty and students of the School of Music and the Eighth College have now moved into the new campus, marking the beginning of a new chapter in academic and campus life.
CUHK(SZ)’s School of Music new campus covers an area of approximately 73,800 square meters, with a total floor area of about 130,000 square meters, and is designed to accommodate 1,000 students. The design integrates Lingnan regional characteristics, guided by the concept of “Composed with the Spirit of Nature, Layered with the Rhythm of Shenzhen”, forming three main clusters: performance venues, teaching facilities, and residential spaces.
The architectural complex is divided into northern and southern zones. The southern zone contains compact teaching areas, while the northern zone provides open residential spaces, creating a spatial rhythm of “density and openness”. The planning emphasises acoustics and user-friendly designs, with a functional layout that ensures convenience. Covered corridors connect all seven main buildings, facilitating easy movement and the transportation of instruments.
The performance cluster, inspired by the petals of the bougainvillea and the imagery of an “eagle spreading its wings”, features flowing lines that evoke musical rhythm while serving wind-guiding functions. The teaching and residential clusters continue the architectural style of the CUHK(SZ) campus, incorporating elements of Lingnan courtyard design. Vertical light wells and horizontal corridors form U-shaped courtyards that enhance ventilation and natural lighting, while providing shading for cooling, together creating a pleasant “campus lung”.
The Academic Office Building and Performing Arts Building house an 818-seat theater, an 800-seat concert hall, a 200-seat modern music hall, along with a library, administrative offices, and teaching spaces. The theatres, concert halls, and recording studios are built with fully decoupled structural designs, while practice rooms and rehearsal spaces feature nested isolation constructions. Together with advanced sound absorption and vibration-damping technologies, these features ensure exceptional acoustic performance The concert hall is equipped with a 60-stop pipe organ that meets international professional standards. Beyond teaching functions, these venues will also collaborate with domestic and international arts institutions to create a high-end cultural and arts platform in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The Music Teaching Building and Music Practice Complex provide over 400 practice rooms, multiple rehearsal halls, experimental and practical training spaces, and research centers, fully meeting the needs of professional teaching and creative work.
The Eighth College and Student Development Center provide hundreds of student dormitories, a canteen capable of serving hundreds of people, and a sports hall, offering comprehensive living and sports facilities for faculty and students. Additionally, the new campus features public areas, including waterfront landscapes and green activity spaces, which serve as venues for faculty-student interaction and for the public to experience musical arts.
