Trust a design school to have one of the most gorgeous campuses in the world. The Prix Versailles, a prestigious architectural award, has just named Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design one of the most beautiful campuses worldwide.
It joins a list of six global laureates, such as the James Cook University of Engineering and Innovation Place in Australia and the University of Copenhagen Niels Bohr Bygningen in Denmark. Like the Prix Versailles lists for the world's most beautiful hotels and the world's most beautiful museums, this selection celebrates beautiful designs that combine form, function, and sustainability.
The Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design is the only Asian entry in the list, and what a worthy one. Established in 2008, the school offers a consolidated curriculum of architecture, design, and landscape architecture. To reflect the merger of these disciplines under one roof, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design engaged Studio Ruan Xing to design a unifying central space within the new school.
The result is a majestic new hall with a striking wooden structure that soars to the hall's ceiling. According to Prix Versailles, this is inspired by Song-era rainbow bridges known for their repairability and replaceability. The glass roof allows in ample sunlight, creating an overall effect reminiscent of a cathedral. Coupled with new terracotta facades, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University stands as "a judicious dialogue between two seemingly antithetical cultures".
Read more about the other laureates named by Prix Versailles as the most beautiful campuses in the world.
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