Shenzhen’s new Institute of Design comes with a Hyper Roof & preserves the natural landscape

Shenzhen recently announced plans to build ‘ten new major cultural facilities’ over the span of three years and hosted international architecture competitions for structures like a future maritime museum, music conservatory, opera house, and design institute. Since then, it’s been revealed that Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA), in collaboration with Chinese design studio Zhubo Design Co., has won the international competition for the new campus of Shenzhen’s Institute of Design and Innovation.

The new campus will form one of Southern University of Science and Technology’s future schools, located along the rural hillside of Shenzhen. Committed to preserving the natural landscape of Shenzhen’s rural region, the winning design embraces a large-scale horizontal campus that stretches for more than 700 meters. Comprised of two main areas that run parallel to one another, “Hyper-Ground” and “Hyper-Roof,” DPA planned the campus with sociability and sustainability in mind.

The design’s “Hyper-Ground” component contains the chunk of the university’s services and meeting areas, including the library, auditorium, and exhibition halls. The design’s ground level consists of open-air social hubs woven throughout university infrastructure to promote hybridization of disciplines and design innovation. Chiseled throughout campus’ ground-level facilities in a pedestrian promenade where students and the public alike can enjoy various commercial services and access points to the university’s educational faculties.

Filling out the winning design’s “Hyper-Roof,” students and the general public can escape from the social scene down below to garden spaces and outdoor sports areas. The “Hyper-Roof” also houses photovoltaic panels and a rainwater management system that provides the entire structure with energy. As the current layout acclimates to the preexisting landscape, its facade generally remains minimal in style, allowing room for even an amphitheater located near the campus’ main entrance.

Designer: Dominique Perrault Architecture x Zhubo Design Co.

The new campus is located on the outskirts of Shenzhen’s rural region, below mountains and beside a nearby cityscape.

The layout features a pedestrian promenade where students and the general public can meet and spend the day.

The planned “Hyper-Roof” features garden spaces and sports areas, as well as photovoltaic panels and a rainwater management system.

From the highway, the campus appears minimal and modest in design.

Inside the campus, a blend of contemporary interior design and natural light create bright, open spaces.

Comprised of two main structures, Dominique Perrault Architecture designed “Hyper-Ground” and “Hyper-Roof” levels.

This section of the campus spans 700 meters in length.

This 496 million dollar project upgrades the Shenzhen Natural History Museum to an architectural river!

The new Shenzhen Natural History Museum is going to be designed by the winners of an international competition that attracted more than 70 proposals from around the world. The winning team includes 3XN, B+H architects, and Zhubo Design. The museum will be on the list of Shenzhen’s ‘Ten Cultural Facilities of the New Era’ and it is the first large-scale comprehensive natural museum in Southern China. The museum will be a world-class natural science site dedicated to interpreting the laws of evolution, showing the geographies of Shenzhen and its ecology from a global perspective while actively advocating science.

The ambitious structure is called ‘Delta’ after the Pearl River Delta and is designed to rise seamlessly from the river with an accessible green rooftop for visitors to soak in the natural setting. The roof is a public park that showcases organic geometries in the form of architecture. The dynamic shape has been inspired by a river stream that has a new view, a new bend, a new discovery at every turn. Similarly, the museum too will have different views at every turn overlooking the surrounding park, hills, and lake from the winding terraces. A news article published in March reported that the total investment in the project was to be $496 million and that excludes the cost of acquiring a wide range of specimens—animals, plants, minerals, and fossils—that will be on display throughout over 365,000 square feet of exhibition-dedicated space.

The unique flow-y form leads guests from the lush gardens to a ‘cave’ inspired passage that is connected to the museum lobby, multiple cafes, and other indoor common areas. Apart from learning about natural history and science, the building is also a community hub that encourages residents to make the most of the rooftop park and outdoor activities. The 42,000 square meter facility will be set up right next to the picturesque Yanzi lake in the Pingshan district of Shenzhen, and beautifully blends function, concept, structure, and material with the space it is in – fitting for a building dedicated to the laws of nature!

Designer: 3XN, B+H architects, and Zhubo Design