Ocean Building

Hidden beneath the Ocean Building’s entry plaza lies a secret. It is a deep-sea research tank, a unique lab whispering tales of the ocean’s depths. The Ocean Building itself, completed in 2016 by OPEN Architecture, is more than just a building. It’s a vertical campus nestled within Tsinghua University’s Graduate School in Shenzhen’s Xili University Town. This 14-story structure, with an additional two underground levels, stands as a testament to innovative design and interdisciplinary collaboration. The Ocean Building folds the campus’s main axis upwards, creating a dynamic vertical quad system. Public spaces are interwoven throughout the building, fostering a vibrant atmosphere where students and staff can connect and exchange ideas. Imagine brainstorming in a shared area, then stepping into a café for a quick coffee, all within this vertical campus. Each research center within the Ocean Building is semi-autonomous yet interconnected, reflecting the collaborative nature of scientific exploration. Shared levels between research centers house conference rooms, exhibition spaces, and study rooms. This design encourages intellectual encounters and facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas. Even the labs and offices within each center are separated by a vertical gap, with stairs bridging these spaces, symbolizing the continuous flow of knowledge. Look up, and you’ll notice the exterior shading devices, strategically placed to minimize heat gain while allowing natural light to flood the labs and offices. These devices are inspired by Debussy’s “La Mer” (“The Sea”), their varying angles creating a daily symphony of light and shadow. As you ascend the Ocean Building, the blue soffit colors of the public floors gradually lighten, mimicking the changing hues of the ocean as it gets shallower. The greenery from the ground floor extends upwards through the vertical quad spaces, culminating in a roof garden at 60 meters high. From this vantage point, you can enjoy panoramic views of the distant mountains and even catch a glimpse of the giraffes at the nearby Shenzhen Wildlife Zoo. The Ocean Building isn’t just a structure. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem of knowledge and innovation, where the pursuit of understanding the deep ocean intertwines with the vibrant pulse of university life.