HKU Bulletin June 2013 (Vol. 14 No. 3)

Campus Development “Third, when you go into an airport lounge, it’s very different to sitting in the rows of plastic chairs in the departure area. The idea was to provide students with something different. We wanted our innovation to excite their innovation.” Ô Ü Ú Ú á ß Ø × Ø ë Õ Ö Ö Õ Ø Ù Ö Ú á Ù Þ ß Ú Ù å ÿ ÿ ÿ Ö å è ß Õ ã × Ý × Ø ë á Ø × Ý Ú á é è é á â Ú ü Õ ß Ù Û Þ Ý Ú Ø Û Ù × Ø Ý × ã × Ý Þ á é á Ø Ý â Õ é é á à Õ ß á Û × ã Ú é Ú á ß Ø × Ø ë í “There was an enthusiasm that I think you just don’t find on commercial projects – from the University, the architects and the construction company,” says Professor Malpas. “Everybody knew we were trying to do something different, to set new standards… to really succeed in the sustainability aspects – and that’s in everything from conception, right the way through to running the buildings.” Campus envy “Now that it’s just about done, we’ve had so many visitors. Recently I showed the ex- Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams round. He was astounded by it, thought it was fantastic. Dr Victor Fung, who as a former Chairman of the Council, was absolutely instrumental in supporting [the project] said ‘this is a world-class facility now’. Professor Bill Kirby from Harvard said ‘we don’t have anything like this at Harvard’.” As well as garnering praise, the CC has already won several awards. “The re-provisioning of the reservoirs is the first of its kind in the world,” says Mr Tam. “As a result, we have been selected one of the 10 Hong Kong People Engineering Wonders in the 21 st century by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.” “Our efforts to protect HKU heritage and the environment have also been recognised with awards from the Green Building Council, Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-BEAM) and the highest performance Platinum certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for achievement in sustainability.” The project may be near completion, but none of the three feel they can relax just yet – “not until the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) link is complete”, says Mr Tam. “It’s a massive achievement, but there is no time to rest on our laurels,” adds Mr Wong. “A campus is a living entity.” “It needs to continue to evolve,” says Professor Malpas. “I hope that in five years the Learning Commons is different to what it is now. We’ve hired a Learning Environments Manager who is tasked with keeping it as a cutting-edge facility.” Says Mr Wong: “In 24 years at HKU, the CC is undoubtedly the most important project I’ve been involved in – not only important for the University but for Hong Kong too. I like to stroll from the old halls down to the Centennial Campus – the old is unified with the new.” Mr Tam is happy that the CC provides facilities that HKU has never had before, “particularly the 1,000-seat Grand Hall, the Learning Commons and the garden we have created on top of the WSD reservoirs – an oasis for the University and an example of good use of land.” “Everyone is proud to have been involved,” says Professor Malpas. “The Centennial Campus is something exceptional in a university. It has added to our stature and befits what HKU should be.” M The jewel in the crown It’s the part of the CC that attracts more attention than any other – despite stiff competition from the Grand Hall, the rooftop Music Library and the Moot Court – the Chi Wah Learning Commons remains the central attraction. The idea behind it is to provide a new kind of learning environment for students. Professor Malpas, who started working on the concept in 2003–04, once described the Learning Commons as a kind of ‘academic airport lounge’. He explains: “The concept of an airport lounge is, first, to treat your customers with respect. I felt it important that we treated students with respect both because they are driving their own learning in their own environment and because of their level of maturity.” “Second, an airport lounge provides a variety of environments to suit your particular mood. In a sense we tried to do the same – at times students want to work collectively, then alone, maybe have a coffee, have access to technology…” 49 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin June 2013 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin www.hku.hk/publications/bulletin.html Published by the University of Hong Kong The Bulletin is the University magazine that features our latest activities, events and plans. It aims to keep the local and international community informed of new breakthroughs in a wide range of disciplines initiated by members of the University. Editorial Team Chief Editor: Katherine Ma, Director of Communications Managing Editor: Shirley Yeung, Publications Manager Assistant Editor: Yu Nga-wing Writers: Kelvin Au, Teri Fitsell, Kathy Griffin Design and production: Seedland International Limited Contribution and Feedback With special thanks to staff and students who kindly contributed their time and their photographs to The Bulletin . 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