SmithGroup shared their winning master plan proposal for a new Marine Sciences campus for the Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (POSTECH), in Uljin, South Korea. With the driving concept of a “wave” – a form common to both land and sea – the new design takes full advantage of the site’s natural beauty, weaving students throughout the campus and tying the man-made with the undulating topography.
More about the winning proposal after the break.
The new Marine Science campus, which will include space for administration, classrooms and research buildings, and residences for students and faculty, is located 50 miles from the main campus in a secluded and hilly site on the east coast of Korea overlooking the East Sea. Academic building are tucked into the natural topography of the south facing mountains, with residences further up the mountains connected via a winding road. By running the buildings up the mountains’ sides, the valley floor is preserved as an ecological park. Plus, the buildings benefit from the thermal mass of the mountain.
The formerly agricultural valley floor of the site will be reclaimed and revived to become an eco-park with water features, paths and walkways, and areas for passive recreation. At the west end of the site, the agricultural reservoir will be transformed into a larger pond which will collect water from the hills, together with runoff from campus and residential development. The water will gradually meander and flow along the natural slope of the valley floor, pooling naturally according to the topography toward the sea, and becoming filtered by the vegetation as it makes its way to the east, eventually emptying out into the sea.
Project Information:
Architect: SmithGroup/JJR
Associate Architect: POSAC
Design Team Members: Michael Kang, FAIA, LEED AP; Sven Shockey, AIA, LEED AP; Merrill St Leger Demian, AICP, LEED AP; Dayton Schroeter, AIA; Seong Koo Lee; Yuran Shen
Project Name/Address: Postech Marine Sciences Campus Master Plan, Uljin, South Korea
Owner: Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (Postech)
Completion Date: TBD
Total Project Area: 82 acres
620,000 gsf construction
