Miralles Tagliabue (EMBT) was recently awarded first prize in the International Competition for the New Campus of Fudan University School of Management in Shanghai, China. Fudan is part of a network of universities and their respective buildings located in Shanghai, Fudan is also a very special and unique university with an extensive history and a very unique character. Besides the main campus, there are two new components. These components are not closely located, they are separate pieces, so in order to establish the connection the buildings must convey the identity of Fudan and contemporary life.
The footprint of the campus will be an essential element in generating an urban mixture. Miralles Tagliabue (EMBT) strongly believe that the central green spine between the blocks of the campus will play a major role in creating the mixture. The existing structure of the area does not have the capacity to generate any public life, the new Fudan campus will create a new core in the new community. The blocks on the western façade side are connected by a public green space. The master plan for this new zone defines the density and heights. The new buildings must have a relationship to the surrounding buildings, the volumes must relate to the urban context, and be adjustable to the different functions. EMBT modified the volumes of the master plan within the given specification to create that mixture. The buildings become part of a network of connections, instead of forming borders.
