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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Goes to The North Teaching Cluster of Zjuic School by Uad

Uad recognized for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 28, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that The North Teaching Cluster of Zjuic School by Uad, designed for The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd., has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Silver A' Design Award

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Regarding The North Teaching Cluster of Zjuic School

The North Teaching Cluster of Zjuic is a university teaching complex on the central axis of the International Campus of Zhejiang University, beside Juanhu Lake in China. The complex covers about 53,000 square meters and includes eight buildings, such as an auditorium, lecture halls, a business school and an administration building. A round auditorium forms the core, and the other buildings are arranged symmetrically on both sides. Floating platforms and corridors link all buildings. Red brick facades are combined with glass curtain walls and metal roofs.

About Uad

The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD) was established in 1953. Formerly known as Zhejiang University Architectural Design Studio, it is one of the earliest First Class Design Institutes among major national universities. The mission of UAD is to seek “harmonious environment, global vision, design-teaching-research integration and innovation, and the highest professionalism”. UAD adopts the development strategy of “high-grade culture, broad vision, high-efficiency management, high-caliber talents, high professional technologies and high-quality works”, with the academic theory of “Balanced Architecture” as the design guideline.

Award Record

With this recognition, Uad is a winner of 3 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2019 - 2020 and the 2021 - 2022 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
The North Teaching Cluster of Zjuic School
Function
School
Category
Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture
Colors
Sky Blue, Cornflower Blue, Steel Blue, Light Blue and Dark Slate Gray
Images
5
Client
The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate
Uad
Country
China
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2021 - 2022
Design ID
#128154

Credits

Team
Dong Danshen, Ye Changqing, Shi Guolei, Wang Xin, Hu Qin, Li Li
Image Credits
Zhao Qiang

Design Details

Unique Properties
The campus's overall planning and design is based on "1 axis, 2 circles, 3 centers, and 4 zones". The north teaching cluster is anchored at the central area of the campus's axis. The round auditorium serves as the core of the complex, and other single buildings on its two sides are symmetrically arranged. All buildings are interconnected through floating platforms and corridors, jointly reflecting the core concept of "Round Auditorium, Open Courtyards & Alleys".
Inspiration
The International Campus of Zhejiang University (ZJUIC) locates beside Juanhu Lake, occupying a land of 800,000 squer meters with a GFA of 400,000 squer meters. Erecting on the campus's central axis and covering 53,000 squer meters or so, the north teaching cluster consists of 8 buildings such as auditorium, lecture halls, public teaching building, business school, administration building, and multi-functional hall. It's one of the campus's public hubs integrating campus culture, office, conferences and teaching activities.
Research
The design is based on pondering on architectural styles of the East and West, the classical and modern, the distinctive identity of the teaching complex and its unity with the campus. In response to the overall British style, the architects studied Western architectural civilization and campus space prototype, and tried to emphasize the continuity of redbrick textures and tones. The team also integrated contemporary features, scales, and techniques into spatial organization and forms.
Challenge
(1) The north teaching cluster, as the central node on the campus's main axis, how to continue the campus's design concept and form a campus public center? (2) The north teaching cluster, as the campus's public center, how to create publicity and openness while enhancing its connection with surroundings? (3) As a part of International Campus of Zhejiang University, how does the north teaching cluster inherit and develop campus spaces and facade forms that are classic and modern, Eastern and Western?
Realization and Technology
The design adds a sense of modernity, straightness, simplicity and transparency to the facades, by retaining the textures of red bricks, simplifying the skirtings and using modern building elements like glass curtain wall, steel-structured corridor, and metal roof. Chinese elements, such as Chinese-style brick patterns, wooden semi-pavilion stage, and glass arch printings, are also added the red-brick facades, thus forming a symphony of both the classic and modern, the Eastern and Western.
Operation and Interaction
The design absorbs the forms of relevant spaces and facades worldwide. The square space outside the round auditorium is inspired by amphitheaters in ancient Rome, while the semi-enclosed seating area inside the auditorium draws on the spatial form of Harvard University. Based on traditional British-style redbrick exteriors, the building facades continue the architectural symbols of the old Zhijiang Campus of ZJU, evoking a resonance of the classical and modern, the Eastern and Western.
Project Duration and Location
Duration: March 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015 Location: North side of Juhu Lake, Haining City, Zhejiang Province, China
Specifications
The design enhances the guidance, fluidity, openness and publicity of the building complex by bridging the site's north-south corridors and setting clear open spaces and routes. Along these routes, the linking nodes of the campus, including the fronts quare, central platform, lakeside leisure landscape, arched corridor, entrances and inner courtyards, can effectively promote the interaction and integration among varying building complexes and between different functional areas in the campus.
Keywords
Round auditorium, open courtyards & alleys, organic space, subtly traditional, contemporary context

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