Dongguan, China – City University of Hong Kong’s new campus has topped out in Dongguan and will open in 2023. As City University of Hong Kong’s third mainland site, CityU Dongguan will connect top researchers and industry collaborators across the Greater Bay Area Technology Innovation Corridor and create a multifaceted and vibrant university district in the Pearl River Delta region.

CityU will help unify the high-end research facilities of Hong Kong and the manufacturing power of Shenzhen to create a new science and development region in the country. The campus’s close proximity to the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), one of the largest scientific research projects in China, and the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, will allow for close collaboration on topics ranging from neutron scattering to wearable technology.

Home to the Faculty of Science, Engineering, Business, and Medicine, CityU’s 300,000 square metres campus is organised along a diagonal grid and divided in half by a road running from the north to the south. Harnessing the momentum of this strong central axis, HENN’s design boomerangs across the site and bridges the road with an elevated platform known as the Academic Spine. The Spine organises the campus physically and conceptually: as the main circulation route through campus, it navigates the site’s mountainous topography and creates connections between the University’s academic and research programs. 

The Spine links the four faculties, sports facilities and administrative buildings on West Campus with the laboratories, classrooms, dining hall, and media centre on East Campus. At the heart of the campus, the Loop widens into a large plaza containing the Central Library. Residential towers define the edges of the campus, offering centrally-located accommodation for students and a direct connection to the surrounding landscape. 

The project will be constructed in two phases: The Central Library, a strikingly angular design with a 50 metre cantilever, will be part of the first construction phase and serve as a symbol of the University and a new landmark for the city of Dongguan. Construction of labs, classrooms and amenities, will be evenly distributed across the two phases to allow for greater flexibility. Phase 01 will be completed in 2023 and Phase 02 is scheduled for completion in 2025. 

CityU is the latest project in HENN’s growing portfolio of universities and research facilities in China. Westlake University in Hangzhou and the IHM Innovation Center in Guangzhou both opened this year, and Aviation University is currently under construction in Hangzhou.