From Barrier to Hybrid Interface: Beikun Garden’s Topological Strategies for Campus-Urban Symbiosis by RUAN Studio

Overview
Walls have long been integral to the spatial organization of Chinese cities. In contemporary China, university campuses function as distinct entities within urban environments, maintaining clear boundaries to preserve academic order and avoid becoming tourist attractions. This delineation raises a critical question in urban and landscape design: how can we redefine campus boundaries to foster shared spaces between academic institutions and their surrounding communities?

Beikun Garden draws inspiration from Zhuangzi’s “Xiaoyao You” and the transformative imagery of the Kunpeng, embodying the philosophy of metamorphosis. The name “Beikun” originates from Zhuangzi’s depiction of a giant fish, Kun, in the northern seas, which transforms into a massive bird, Peng, symbolizing a journey toward expansive freedom. The design introduces a dynamic “Wall-Garden” spatial sequence that reimagines the interface between campus and city, promoting a degree of shared public space.

Challenges
Beikun Garden is situated at the North Gate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Minhang Campus, within the core area of the “Minhang Silicon Valley” innovation district. The site has been facing several issues, including severely deteriorated pavement, encroached pedestrian pathways, outdated infrastructure, and obsolete landscape design. Additionally, the existing innovation district lacks public activity spaces and a vibrant atmosphere.
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The project faces a dual challenge: transforming a 10,000-square-meter underutilized greenbelt within the campus into a shared urban garden, while preserving the daily operations of a prestigious university as an independent entity. The core conflict lies in balancing the university’s autonomous functioning with the need to connect and integrate with the city.

Design Strategies
The design team transformed the traditional campus boundary wall into a permeable “third space,” symbolizing the university’s evolution from an enclosed knowledge enclave to a catalyst for urban interaction.

The 300-meter-long composite wall serves as the primary spatial delineator, comprising five distinct segments that establish differentiated interfaces between the campus and the city. On the campus’s side, the design preserves existing camphor trees and aligns with the natural topography to form three open-air amphitheaters and four intimate micro-gardens. The amphitheaters are suitable for both ceremonial gatherings and everyday interactions, while the micro-gardens offer secluded spaces for small group meetings or individual reflection.​

Facing the city on the northern side, the design incorporates 14 wedge-shaped planters filled with dense, tall ornamental grasses. These planters carve out multiple small-scale “wedge-shaped garden courts,” providing soft, inviting spaces for relaxation or solitude. These areas serve as urban retreats for residents seeking respite from fast-paced city life.

The wall is constructed using weathered Roman bricks, untreated copper plaques, and natural wood, intentionally preserving kiln-fired black spots and natural cracks. The “redundant” mortar joints ensure uniform brick sizes without cutting, imparting a handcrafted, “woven” texture that evokes a sense of antiquity as if the wall had stood for centuries.

Social Significance
Beikun Garden demonstrates the transformative potential of landscape architecture in addressing urban social challenges. By converting a previously enclosed and underutilized greenbelt within Shanghai Jiao Tong University into a publicly accessible urban garden, the project offers a natural sanctuary for nearby residents and professionals amidst the city’s fast-paced environment.

The design’s use of raw, weathered materials reflects the university’s rich history, turning the campus boundary into a medium for cultural expression and dissemination. By implementing low-impact landscape interventions and selecting materials that weathers gracefully with minimal upkeep, Beikun Garden exemplifies ecological resilience within the context of urban revitalization.

The garden’s creation has revitalized the public space at the university’s North Gate, enhancing interactions among students, faculty, local residents, and the innovation community. ​Beikun Garden serves as a dynamic nexus within the “Minhang Silicon Valley” innovation district, redefining the traditional “ivory tower” archetype prevalent in Chinese academia.

The reconstructed wall evokes an impression of a historical site, it functions as a permeable interface between the university and the city, achieving “relative openness.” This approach creates an inviting connection with the urban community while preserving the autonomy essential for the university’s daily operations. Ultimately, Beikun Garden establishes an expandable, flexible, and shared boundary, encouraging a symbiotic relationship between the campus and the surrounding community.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
RUAN Studio, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

• All architecture offices involved in the design:
RUAN Studio, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

• Other credits:

General Contractor: Shanghai Songling Landscaping Construction Development Co., Ltd.
Client: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Zero Bay Investment Development (Group) Co., Ltd.
Photographer: SU Shengliang, Chill Shine, LUO Huichao