NCCU Center for Public and Business Administration Education
Vertical campus blending academic, residential, and civic functions with transparent spaces, lush terraces, and urban integration in Taipei.
Reimagining Executive Learning in a Dense Urban Context
Designed by JJP Architects & Planners, the NCCU Center for Public and Business Administration Education (CPBAE) serves as a dynamic educational facility offering executive training programs for senior government officials and industry leaders. Located in the bustling Da’an District of Taipei, the project replaces the outdated original campus with a bold architectural statement that integrates learning, living, and civic engagement in a vertical urban environment.
Vertical Campus: A New Urban Typology
Situated within a compact, mixed-use neighborhood, the site is just 1% the size of the university’s suburban campus. To adapt, the traditional horizontal layout of an academic campus is reimagined vertically. Using a modular grid system, the architects organized programmatic elements into two distinct volumes:
- A stone-clad academic and conference block
- A concrete guest room tower with 100 rooms
Between these volumes lies a transparent core—the lobby, central atrium, and café—that visually connects the internal activities to the surrounding city, reinforcing the building's civic role.
Light-Filled Public Spaces and Academic Continuity
At the heart of the project is a 30-meter-high central atrium, replacing the traditional university quad. This vertical void is animated by glass meeting pods projecting into the space, encouraging casual interactions and reinforcing a sense of community. Circulation through the building is structured around naturally ventilated, daylight-filled public areas, designed in a hierarchical and sequential manner to enhance user experience.
Blending Architecture with the Urban Ecosystem
The ground floor is porous and landscaped, blurring boundaries between campus and city. Existing trees are preserved, and new plantings enrich the entrance plaza, which acts as a public gathering space for events, informal meetings, and leisure. Above, multi-level terraces support both social and professional exchanges, bridging the gap between formal education and real-world application.
A Civic Beacon for Leadership and Learning
The NCCU CPBAE is more than just a school—it’s a microcosm of urban academia, a model for integrating higher education into dense cityscapes. Through its innovative vertical programming, transparency, and layered public spaces, the building champions a new typology for public administration education, embodying both academic prestige and civic openness.
All Photographs are works of Shawn Liu,
