Architect and photographer Kris Provoost recently captured new photos of OPEN Architecture's Tsinghua Ocean Center in China. Designed as a laboratory and office building for the newly established deep-ocean research base of Tsinghua University, the project is located at the eastern end of Tsinghua graduate school campus in Shenzhen Xili University Town next to the main campus entrance. Provoost's images reveal details throughout the construction and showcase the project in its larger context.
The striking center is part of the Tsinghua University Graduate School in Shenzhen. It is a key building in the Shenzhen Xili University Town. Surrounded by abundant green, this campus building stands out for its verticality in stark contrast with the usual campus architecture. This open and welcoming building is a series of vertically stacked classrooms and laboratories. In-between are a series of public spaces that weave upwards to overlook the wide landscape of both city and nature. The different public spaces make people socialize and interact with each other.
As Provoost states, "The architecture is simple, clean and organized. Concrete boxes of different sizes are placed vertically. The soffits have a very bright blue tint, a clear reference to the Ocean. The breeze and the open outdoor spaces make you want to take a break to overlook the landscape in a 360 view."
