After pandemic-related stops and starts, Wenzhou-Kean University’s Ge Hekai Hall has finally begun to see full occupancy. Located in Wenzhou, China, about five hours south of Shanghai, Ge Hekai Hall serves as the front door to the university’s 175-acre campus. Designed by Moore Ruble Yudell, Ge Hekai Hall houses three schools, including architecture and design, for Wenzhou-Kean University, a joint venture between New Jersey’s Kean University and China’s Wenzhou University.
Ge Hekai Hall’s gateway portico nods to both the surrounding mountain landscape and the high-rise residential towers across the street. The structure comprises eight buildings that contain classrooms, offices, shops, and a library. Evoking traditional Chinese alleyway neighborhoods, the alleys between the buildings provide light and air, multiple entries, and spaces for informal interaction. Accessible 24/7, the building’s rooftops are connected by a network of bridges. Atop these linear buildings sit two high-bay studio loft buildings.
“The building design concept revolves around sets of dualities: China’s past and future, building techniques old and new, and a set of orthogonal lower buildings supporting an active, angular upper building,” Christopher Chan, AIA, principal-in-charge of the project at Moore Ruble Yudell, said in a statement.
At the intersection of the lower and upper buildings, a civic-scaled atrium called the Forum serves as a community and social hub, an extension of the classrooms, and an 800-person event venue for the entire university.
Designed to LEED Gold and China Two-Star standards, the building integrates facade sunshades, a photovoltaic array, rainwater harvesting, thermal massing with a heat recovery system, and a passively cooled atrium. To enhance wellness, the design provides ample indirect sunlight and biophilic elements, such as over 2,000 square meters of solid wood. In addition, the building provides only the code minimum number of elevators, encouraging people to use the stairs in the Forum atrium.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Wenzhou-Kean University
Design architect, interior design, and landscape design: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners
Associate architect: Tongji University Architecture Design Research Institute
Architect of record: Zhongtian Construction Architectural Design Institute
Structural, civil, and MEP engineer: Zhongtian Construction Group Company Limited
Building and atrium lighting designer: Brandston Partnership Incorporated (BPI)
General contractor: Zhongtian Construction Group Company Limited
![WKU aerial](/sites/default/files/inline-images/WKU%20aerial%20.png)
![WKU int](/sites/default/files/inline-images/WKU%20int.png)
Related Stories
| Nov 3, 2014
An ancient former post office in Portland, Ore., provides an even older art college with a new home
About seven years ago, The Pacific Northwest College of Art, the oldest art college in Portland, was evaluating its master plan with an eye towards expanding and upgrading its campus facilities. A board member brought to the attention of the college a nearby 134,000-sf building that had once served as the city’s original post office.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 14, 2014
Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows
This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 17, 2014
New hub on campus: Where learning is headed and what it means for the college campus
It seems that the most recent buildings to pop up on college campuses are trying to do more than just support academics. They are acting as hubs for all sorts of on-campus activities, writes Gensler's David Broz.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.