这栋面积不过2400平米的建筑尝试着体验都市密度的可能性。在本案中，密度被视为生活中的正面因素，在紧邻另一栋建筑旁，局限在300平米基地上的7层晨兴数学中心，使用功能包括了数学家们除了进餐之外的全部日常活动，从办公、研究到会议、住宿。狭小的基地又决定了它只可能是一幢建筑物，而不是一组。将复杂的功能放入单幢建筑物并不构成一个问题。问题在于足不出户的数学家们是否因此失去了经验城市的机会？或：既然数学家们不到城市中去，是否可能把城市带到数学中心里来？为了获得单体建筑内部的城市性，数学中心被化解成一组微型塔楼，各有不同的功能，各有不同的建筑质量。把从一间到另一间房间的经验转化为从一幢到另一幢建筑的经验。空间组织：将所有空间分为垂直的五组。一、个人研究；二、住宿；三、公共空间，包括讲演厅、休息室、图书馆、研讨室；四、半公共空间，包括中心负责人办公研究、多人研讨、计算机房等；五、核心，包括电梯、楼梯、厕所等。然后用不同的建筑元素，如庭院、玻璃墙、桥等，限定组与组之间的关系。每组空间的室内外空间关系也因私密程度的不同产生单面透明、双面半透明、双面透明、不透明的变化。
In the design of this research complex, the idea of the dense-urbanism is translated into the one of a miniature city. The program asks for a singular structure on a tight site to accommodate all the daily activities of the mathematicians except dining. This live work arrangement refuses the researchers the opportunity to go into the city. In order to bring only a vague sense of urban living to the center’s residents, a city has to be created inside the building. The seven-story edifice is therefore dissolved into five internal buildings according to their different uses. The miniature towers are defined by different architectural qualities: Private spaces, as in the individual research tower and the dormitory tower, open on one side while the tower containing the public spaces open on two opposite sides. And the semi-public spaces, also forming a separate stack, are translucent on two opposite sides. The mini-towers are then connected with passages, light wells, and bridges over a sky lit gap. The gap may be seen as a traditional Chinese courtyard only squeezed tight to fit in the contemporary Asian city. By such design, it is hoped that one may blur the experience of going from one room to another with that one of going from building to building.