Public Academy - Suzhou Campus, China

21 May 2009 RMJM wins major project in China UK-based international architects RMJM today, 21 May 2009 announced that it has won a project to design a unique campus in Suzhou, China, which will aim to provide the most sophisticated facilities in the country for nurturing a future generation of entrepreneurs. As a result of its international expertise in education design - including projects for the leading universities such as Oxford and Cambridge as well as Princeton and Yale in the USA - RMJM was appointed by the Suzhou Industrial Park Education Development Investment Co. Ltd to design a campus to house advanced teaching facilities as well as incubation units to help graduates become entrepreneurs. Suzhou, which has the second highest GDP per capita of all China's 659 cities, trailing only nearby Shanghai, has experienced the fastest economic growth in the country over the past 10 years. In addition to being one of China's most popular tourist destinations, it is famed for its focus on education and has produced some of the country's most renowned scholars and business people. The province of Jiangsu, in which Suzhou is located, has the largest number of higher education institutions in the country with 105 universities and colleges and an annual enrolment of around a million students. RMJM was appointed to design the 'Public Academy' in the Du Shu Hu higher education district of Suzhou to build upon the city's educational and economic reputation. The Public Academy is the international architecture firm's first full higher education campus in China. Although RMJM has specialized in education buildings for over 50 years, it is the first project to come out of its Global Education Studio, launched last year and combining the educational design expertise of over 100 dedicated architects across its worldwide network, with a twin-base in Cambridge, UK and Princeton in New Jersey, US. The client's brief called for an academy located in the higher education district of Suzhou, within the city's successful industrial park that aims to be a leader in technology and R&D for high-tech industries. The design, which takes the best elements from world-class education models in the USA and UK, is contemporary, whilst also in keeping with the physical environment and social culture of Suzhou, which is celebrated for its meticulously designed walled gardens, canal-ordered townscape and traditional visual and literary arts. The 120,000 square metre campus provides education facilities for undergraduates and graduates, a professional development centre and spaces for incubation research units which are able to support small-scale prototyping and manufacturing on site. Peter Morrison, RMJM's Chief Executive, said: "Over the last year or so, we have restructured our business by pooling the talent of our international experts in the growth areas of education, health, science and transportation. This strategy is clearly paying off and this is a big win for our specialist education team. It's also a very exciting project for us to work on as the Public Academy will uncover China's next generation of entrepreneurs and enhance Suzhou's economic and educational reputation." The campus, which is expected to be completed in 2012, will also offer sporting and recreation facilities for the wider community, including public gardens. to build upon the city's educational and economic reputation. Public Academy Suzhou Campus information from RMJM Architects