Site
Phase II of Xihua University's Yibin Campus is located in Lingang Economic Development Zone, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. It forms part of the 12 km² masterplan for the first phase of the "Twin-cities" initiative—a University Town and Sci-Tech Innovation Hub.
The Phase II site area spans approximately 390,000 m² including reserved land from Phase I. The site adjoins Guandou Mountain to the northwest, forming an undulating mountainous backdrop. The significant gradient of the terrain within the site post substantial challenges to construction. A 20m-deep stormwater drainage ditch at the mountain’s base further restricts developable areas within the site to a relatively flat southeastern zone. A 30m-high hill in the centre is preserved and celebrated as the campus’s core landscape feature.
Total floor area is 261,558 m², with 152,353 m² above ground, and 10,305 m² below ground. The campus accommodates 6,200 students.
Planning & Design
The design provides a topographical solution to the site challenge – it comprises a circular layout that is free in configuration, landscape centric, pivot around the preserved hill, and penetrated by canopied walkways – strategies leading toward the vision of a school campus that is both human-centric and ecological.
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The Teaching Cluster
The Teaching Cluster is a series of interconnected, chained buildings revolving around the preserved hill in a sinuous form, with the library at the center and surrounded by teaching/laboratory buildings as the wings. Offices, classrooms, workshops, and laboratories for each department connect though public platform and canopied corridors to form an integrated cluster that fosters crossdisciplinarity collaboration and academic innovation.
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The Landscape-Centric Campus
Green spaces in the new campus pivots around the preserved hill as the heart and radiate into the courtyards of the surrounding buildings to create scenic views across the campus. Courtyard design incorporates Southern Sichuan architectural traditions, offering microclimate moderation to these exterior gathering spaces. Portal-shaped library allows the preserved hill in the back to be seen through its grand stairways and large-span reading spaces, creating an imaginary axis with the campus buildings and the preserved hill as the foreground and the Guandou Mountains as the backdrop.
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The Walkway System
Elevated first floors at certain locations in the Teaching Cluster allow for the placement of a complete, uninterrupted pedestrian network that bridge the buildings – in the form of canopied walkways that made possible for all-weather travels – with the preserved hill in the centre. Serving as scenic viewing routes and catalysts for communication, these convenient walkways help to reduce problems such as vehicle-pedestrian conflicts, low usage on school squares and roads, and unauthorized parking. The traffic system of Phase II joins the road network of Phase I.
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Technological Architecture with Historical Sensibility
The sculptural, sloping roof of the buildings in the campus echo the mountainous context while optimizing sunlight exposure. Architectural form of the buildings reflects “modern industrial aesthetics” in honor of the school’s pioneering research in industrial technology. Since the major departments in Phase II (Automobile, Material Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering) are considered cornerstones of modern manufacturing, the buildings’ façade materials are also designed to feature precision-engineered elements: glass blocks, screen-printed glass, faux stone coating, corrugated aluminum plates, and light gray patterned GRC (Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete) panels. Façade GRC panels with patterns derived from the camphor tree (Yibin’s city tree) are displayed among the vegetated landscape, softening the buildings appearance into natural environment.