the new chu hai college campus in hong kong by OMA

the office for metropolitan architecture in collaboration with leigh & orange architects
has won the competition for the new campus for chu hai college of higher education
in the new territories in hong kong.

OMA conceived a building that consists of two parallel horizontal slabs connected
by a ‘mat’ of social and educational facilities. the slabs, each eight stories high, contain
flexible space for classrooms, studios, and offices. their aerated structural facades provide
a visual unity for the campus, and allow views into the inner workings of the buildings
and out over castle peak bay and its verdant surrounding hills. the slabs are oriented to
maximise natural ventilation, reducing air conditioning demands by 15–30 per cent
and contributing to an efficient, sustainable design.

connecting the two slabs, the mat contains the library, cafeteria, gym, and lecture theatres.
on top of this mat OMA has designed a shaded area of steps, platforms, and ramps that
acts as a circulation system between the various facilities. crucially, this ramp coincides
with the slope of the existing hill on the site, grounding the new campus firmly within
the landscape.











the project will be executed by OMA asia (hong kong), which opened in the summer
of 2009. the office is currently also working on a conceptual plan for the west kowloon
cultural district in hong kong, design development of the taipei performing arts centre
in taiwan, construction of the shenzhen stock exchange, and the interior design of
the edouard malingue gallery in hong kong.