HKUST is an iconic, innovative campus that combines the university’s programmatic aspirations with the site’s natural beauty and urban context, all the while targeting carbon neutrality and zero water waste.
Located in Nansha, Guangzhou, the master plan will materialize over two phases to accommodate more than 10,000 students and faculty and a full range of university facilities: spaces for housing, teaching and research, athletics, performing arts, and amenities. These specialized facilities converge around a dynamic, central space to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and engender a strong community. HKUST Guangzhou will provide an inspirational environment for students, faculty, and staff to live, work and study, establishing a world-leading standard in higher education for future generations and campuses across China.
The campus features exemplary sustainability and resiliency measures, attuned to the site within the rapidly developing, coastal region of mainland China and an area of the world that will witness some of the greatest climate change impact. Three canals will embrace the delta and enforce its “zero water waste” goal, collecting and filtering rainwater for reuse and promoting resiliency through flooding and wetland protection. Both the main outdoor collaboration areas and the buildings themselves will incorporate a combination of active and passive thermal comfort strategies to guarantee the well-being and enjoyment of occupants within the humid micro-climate of the site. Within the canals’ borders, the campus will be free of emissions, in which a smart electric mobility network will support all transportation of resources and people.
