Hupan Learning and Research Center_Education_Projects | KRIS YAO｜ARTECH

Hupan Learning and Research Center is a business and research center founded by nine celebrated Chinese entrepreneurs and scholars, with the goal of infusing graduates with a lively start-up spirit. The new campus is located in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and sits on a site bordered by water on three sides. It was conceived as a contemporary version of a traditional Chinese garden, enclosed within a ring like building, 160 meters in diameter and three stories in height, where occupants and visitors can share ideas, cherish traditions, and embrace new concepts.

With the main service route to the north, the complex is entered from a bridge on the west side. Rows of bamboo line up on either side of the entrance plaza, welcoming employees and guests into a realm of Oriental garden different from that of its surroundings. Public spaces and shared facilities, including multipurpose halls of varying sizes, a small theater, stepped lecture rooms and a canteen, are deployed around the lake. Most have expansive windows overlooking the central courtyard to establish visual connections between occupants in different parts of the campus. The administrative offices, study halls, and other service facilities, which require greater focus, are located in the quieter southeast corner, as well as on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the outer ring areas.

The silver roofs of roughly 4,600 square meters shade a series of passageways and gathering spaces for social and pedagogical activities, and offer a naturally ventilated zone safe from intense weather conditions. The canopies have laminated bamboo as their underside finish, which not only offer some warmth underneath, but also pay tribute to the color palette and materials of traditional Chinese architecture, along with the white washed walls and gray tiles of the building.