CAA Architects unveils the CAFA Qingdao Campus, built for future design disciplines.

The new campus of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) is located on the south bank of the West Coast New Area of Qingdao. The campus uses rhythmic lines to create an organic living body that interacts with the bay area and the wider ocean.

The new campus is backed by a 6m high hill which fluctuates naturally and grows up to 33m. The vertical planning evolves into a large-scale curved roof garden. The different space heights mean that the land art is an evolution of the natural landscape and forms an organic life body that grows towards the sea.

The idea behind the circular courtyard design is that art education flourishes in an organic space where students can take in their surroundings and grow outward creatively at the same time. By connecting each unit to the classroom, library, laboratory, auditorium, dormitory and other independent areas, students have the opportunity to step away from their work and reflect on their environment, which will in turn inspire them to create something new.

The scene is inspired by the surging waves of the ocean rising up and the coexistence of artistic freedom and rationality in creation. CAFA plans to use the campus to explore independent scientific research, cultural inheritance, innovative education and social services inspired by the free-flowing nature of the 135,000 sq m site. The size and location of the campus provide an opportunity for CAFA to break away from traditional educational models and explore new possibilities for education and research.