RMJM has designed a unique campus in the Du Shu Hu higher education district in Suzhou, China, which should provide the sophisticated facilities for nurturing a future generation of entrepreneurs. The project is being designed through international architecture firm RMJM’s new Global Education Studio, which is headquartered in Princeton with an office in Cambridge, U.K.
RMJM was appointed by the Suzhou Industrial Park to design a campus to house advanced teaching facilities as well as incubation units to help turn graduates into entrepreneurs.
Suzhou, which has the second-highest GDP per capita of China’s 659 cities, trailing only nearby Shanghai, has experienced the fastest economic growth in the country during the past decade.
The province of Jiangsu, in which Suzhou is located, has the largest number of higher education institutions in the country with 105 universities and colleges and an annual enrolment of approximately 1 million students.
The 1.29 million square-foot campus provides education facilities for undergraduates and graduates, a professional development center and spaces for incubation research units that are able to support small-scale prototyping and manufacturing on site.
Building Design and Construction states the courtyard style arrangement of the buildings reflects the traditional architecture and walled gardens of the neighboring city.