OPEN Architecture has unveiled the design for a new campus center in the Chinese city of Suzhou. The Shangfeng Academy project, which topped out at the end of April, will be the site of a new K-12 international school and will also act as a cultural hub for the local community.

For this undertaking, OPEN was challenged with establishing a major new urban project while being mindful of the artistic and cultural tradition of the city. 

The campus will serve close to 2,000 students and will include a library, art center, gymnasium, swimming pool, grand theater of 1,000 seats, a black box theater, and a forum. Given the variety of users and programs, OPEN decided to divide the school into five individual buildings interconnected by covered walkways. As a result, voids are formed, which make way for four gardens and semi-outdoor spaces. The walkways accommodate large numbers of students, and the gardens act as buffer zones. 

The gardens are designed around the four seasons via the selection of plants in each one. Elements of classical Suzhou gardens, such as scholar rocks, traditional pavement patterns, and the use of water, are integrated into the school’s gardens. An unnamed fifth garden is positioned on the rooftop of the walkways featuring tall grasses and herbs. It is connected to the main classroom building through a short bridge. 

The architects worked closely with Tongji Architectural Design, the campus planning firm and the local design institute, to place the campus on the surrounding main street. The school will open its facilities to the local community when not in session. In addition, a café and courtyard will be included on the ground floor facing the street. 

The structure’s façade consists of board-formed white concrete, which both pays homage to the white-wall-gray-roof traditional architecture of Suzhou and resolves the issue of traditional white plaster needing constant maintenance to prevent mildew formation and cracking. 

As said by OPEN founders Li Hu and Wenjing Huang, “Finding radical strategies to deal with the complex and practical challenges, while creating architecture of poetic spirit deeply connected to the local cultural tradition, is at the heart of this project.”