China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior PhotographyChina Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior PhotographyChina Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior PhotographyChina Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, FacadeChina Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - More Images+ 50

  • Principal Architects: Yung Ho Chang, Lijia Lu
  • Architecture Project Team: Yin Shun, Wang Yue, Long Bin, Huang Shuyi, Wang Wenzhi,Liang Xiaoning, Liu Yang, Liu Chao, Zhang Bowen, Wang Shuo, Cheng Yishi, He Zelin, Shi Qi, Lin Shijie, Li Xiangting, Xie Yanxu,Jiao Huimin
  • Interior Design Team: Wang Yue, Zhang Min, Han Shukai, Li Shuai; Landscape design: Shi Qi, Yin Shun, Lin Shijie
  • On Site Supervision: Li Shiqi
  • Construction Drawing Designers: Tongji Architectural Design Group Co. Ltd No. 3 Architectural Design
  • City: Hangzhou
  • Country: China
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China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography
Campus spatial organization with dorms upstairs and workshops downstairs. Image © Fangfang Tian

Towards a New Mode of Education. Liangzhu is an area in the city of Hangzhou where a new campus of China Academy of Art (CAA) is sited. At Liangzhu, this art-based comprehensive university plans to have four academic divisions, which are College of Innovative Design, College of Art Management, College of Foundational Education, and College of Continuing Education and will house 3000 full-time students and 1000 continuing education students. The four main objectives of this new campus include developing interdisciplinary innovative talents; promoting design and informational economy; integrating artificial intelligence technology; and setting another benchmark for contemporary design education. At the stage of the campus design competition, CAA asked the participating architects to envision an educational system that would meet the mandates given.

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography, Living Room, Windows, Facade
2nd floor outdoor social space and workshops. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography
Workshops. Image © Fangfang Tian

We understood that deciding a major while entering college is no longer the best way for today’s higher education and proposed a conceptual framework for learning that is defined by the following: 1. Use head and hands. Every student, regardless of his/her discipline or concentration, has to take courses that engage making, from drawing/painting to design/architecture, as part of the foundations. 2. Classes as research projects for advanced level, which allows students to acquire skills to work as an interdisciplinary team and solve real-world problems. 3. Abolish departments so that knowledge is not compartmentalized. 

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
2nd floor connecting passage. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
Conceptually continuous workshop space. Image © Fangfang Tian

Architecture That Teaches. Furthering the above-mentioned important programming exercise, we believe that architecture can and should be part of the educational system. What kind of space for a campus is able to facilitate making and experimentation as well as to encourage students to interact with each other in and out of classes to nurture collaboration? While traditional classrooms are still necessary, the main teaching-learning space at Liangzhu is redefined as an open, continuous studio, where classes can be held and students may, individually or collectively, read, write, draw, build, discuss, or debate.

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
Covered walkways of 1st & 2nd floor of workshops. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Image 50 of 55
Campus cross section
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography
Space under cantilevered eaves of workshops. Image © Fangfang Tian

In this space, all the activities on campus are visible, which means that a student can be constantly aware of what others are working on while pursuing his/her interests. We hope to blur teaching and learning, research, and practice in this particular school environment, the vaulted spaces of which would allow ample natural light, large-scale installations as well as events, such as conferences and drama/dance performances. 

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography, Chair
Interior of workshop. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography
Interior of workshop. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography
Continuous interior space of workshop. Image © Fangfang Tian

Learn-Live. At Liangzhu, students live upstairs of the studios. The vertical stratified system of the dormitory, social space, and studios creates an architecture that embodies the concept of "college as a community" where students live-study under one roof. Within the dormitories, there are spaces provided to the students for themselves to organize “hobby clubs,” which are a form of self-taught courses. We hope to convey to the students the notion of living is learning, which makes up the core ideas of this campus design along with the studios.

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography
Landscaping in the campus. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Image 21 of 55
Elevation close-up of high-rise dorm. Image © Qingshan Wu

In many ways, CAA Liangzhu is an open project. The incoming students have been asked to imagine the ways they will engage the architectural spaces of this campus in a workshop to make the campus their own. 

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
Layers of semi-outdoor spaces under eaves of workshop. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography
Eave Close-up. Image © Yushan Wang

One Building. Since there are no separate zones for teaching facilities and living quarters typical for a college campus, all the buildings at Liangzhu are connected by covered walkways and conceptually woven into a single piece of architecture. Due to the habit of hanging laundry in the dormitory balconies, this mixed-use spatial organization calls for a tidier than usual appearance for the dormitories. A continuous metal louvre is thus devised on the building exteriors to screen off laundry as well as air conditioners while serving as sunshades.

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
Gym. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Interior Photography, Windows
Interior of Gym. Image © Qingshan Wu

On the rooftops of the dormitories, we designed a series of semi-outdoor spaces named “view-finders,” which is aimed at further enriching the campus life of Liangzhu. For the purpose of construction management, the CAA Liangzhu project was scheduled in two phases. The first phase was completed in July 2021, and classes began in September of the same year. The entire campus is due to open in 2023.   

China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography, Facade
Sword Pond connecting to river surrounding campus. Image © Fangfang Tian
China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ - Exterior Photography
Landscape water system outside gym. Image © Qingshan Wu

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Project location

Address:Liangzhu, Hangzhou, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "China Academy of Art Liangzhu Campus / Atelier FCJZ" 18 Nov 2021. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/971983/china-academy-of-art-liangzhu-campus-atelier-fcjz> ISSN 0719-8884

Cantilevered eaves of workshops. Image © Qingshan Wu

中国美术学院良渚校区 / 非常建筑

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