The project is located at the Central Campus of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), where dormitories and sports venues dominate. To provide students with multifunctional spaces for self-directed learning, activities, and communication, the university selected an overlooked corner at the easternmost edge of the campus (Fig.1 site location).

This irregular plot is bordered on three sides by boundary walls: to the south by a commercial building, to the north by a residential block, and to the east by a major urban arterial road with an elevated expressway. More complex is the underground tunnel underpass beneath the site, which links the East and Central Campuses by passing beneath the city road.

Urban infrastructure inevitably fragments and disrupts the existing fabric. Since the tunnel underpass was completed in 2013, the plot had remained fenced off. When the architects first visited the site, they found that residents from the northern housing block had breached the wall to plant vegetables and raise chickens — transforming the isolated corner into a shared community garden (Fig.2).

The design takes an urban-scale perspective. By inserting a functional building and reconfiguring the circulation, this corner is redefined as a connector between the Central Campus and the eastern city road—creating a new entrance for daily use (Fig.3 circulation diagram).

From a broader spatial strategy, the design challenges conventional boundaries by removing the fence and setting back the campus perimeter. This allows the area to serve as a public-facing gateway and a pocket park, accessible to both students and local residents (Fig.4 campus boundary diagram).

Located along the central axis of the campus and above the tunnel underpass, the building’s form and visibility are deliberately enhanced to stand out from the surrounding urban clutter, establishing a local landmark.

After exploring a series of physical models, the final design adopts an unconventional volume with a curved footprint. These curves create active, fluid spaces along the boundary, rather than passive residual gaps.

The building is elevated, with an open ground floor that preserves a continuous surface between the eastern urban road and the campus. Surrounded by landscaped greenery, it resembles an oversized pavilion. Pedestrians can pass underneath the structure, reaching the western edge of the tunnel underpass cover to gain views of the campus. The slightly sunken ground beneath the elevated mass becomes a gathering point for informal outdoor activities.

The primary technical challenge was how to build on top of the existing tunnel underpass. Within the site are three box culvert segments; excessive earthwork could disturb them and damage the waterproof joints, leading to leaks—an unacceptable risk.

Following a comparison of multiple design schemes, and with full support from the original tunnel’s design unit, the optimal solution was to utilize the tunnel’s soldier piles as the foundation for the new structure. The elevated, open ground-floor design minimizes disturbance to the soil and accommodates only compact spaces like capsule study rooms and equipment rooms, aligning with technical constraints.

The first floor houses the main indoor program. It contains only essential service cores (toilets, stairs), while the remainder is an open, multipurpose learning space. Structurally, the first-floor roof is supported by four large steel I-beams spanning more than 18 meters, and the floor slab is suspended from evenly spaced columns. This approach maintains spatial transparency, while the slender columns engage with users and activities, creating opportunities for unexpected moments of playfulness.

Two vertical light wells bring daylight and natural ventilation to both floors, while also meeting fire safety requirements for smoke exhaust. This design allows the façade to remain as a continuous glass band without operable windows, effectively reducing noise from the adjacent expressway, residential blocks, and commercial buildings.

The continuous glazing splits the first-floor mass horizontally. Inside, uninterrupted views of greenery and the cityscape create the feeling of being in an elevated pavilion. At night, the building glows with light and student activity, becoming a small lighthouse along the campus axis.