Over the past weekend, 296 students from 46 different countries - including 151 young scholars from China - arrived for fall semester registration at the newly opened New York University (NYU) campus building on Century Avenue in Pudong New Area. NYU Shanghai was officially opened last year in association with East China Normal University, although at that time, classes were held elsewhere while the school's campus building was still under construction.

Located right in the heart of Shanghai's financial district, this 15-story building is different from nearly every other university campus in China in that it is not surrounded by walls or guarded entrance gates. As the university's chancellor, Yu Lizhong, told the Global Times, this design choice is meant to promote an open environment.

"Not building walls (around the campus) was an easy thing. But ensuring that there are no 'walls' when it comes to the education of students - that's what we pay the most attention to. The design and location of the new campus building are meant to enable deeper exchanges between students and the society, among the students themselves, and between students and teachers," he said.

All under one roof

With some 55,000 square meters of academic and community space, the building includes a state-of-the-art library that will be open around the clock. It will also house an extensive collection of both print and digital volumes and offer access to NYU's global library of resources, which include more than 1 million electronic books.

Also contained within the new campus building are a 300-seat auditorium, a 150-person colloquium space, a theater, music and arts halls, and a canteen equipped with an electronic payment system. Once students place their trays on a square device at the cashier's station, the price of their meal will be automatically calculated and students need only swipe their school ID cards to pay for their food.

The classroom floors all feature student lounge areas, where students can study, socialize and take part in various clubs and activities.

The academic resource center on the sixth floor is where students can access one-on-one tutoring services with 28 academic fellows recruited from around the world. These tutors will work full time to provide individualized assistance in areas such as writing, physics, biology and chemistry.

The building is also equipped with science and math laboratories, health service rooms, piano practice studios and a gym. At the same time, a robust IT infrastructure, including wireless Internet throughout the building, ensures the NYU Shanghai community remains fully connected.

Jeffery Lehman, vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai, told the Global Times that he is personally very impressed with the design of a staircase that goes from the basement to the fifth floor.

"These are the classroom floors. The staircase is very visible. So everywhere you go, you see students walking up and down. It's the center of energy that makes everyone feel excited. Every level, there are chairs to stop, to talk. If you bump into someone, you say 'I was interested in what was said in class.' You can keep the conversation going," he said.

'An exciting life'

Although the NYU Shanghai campus differs from the school's campus in New York City in terms of scale and amenities - the Pudong building is designed to support 2,000 students, versus 50,000 in Manhattan - Lehman believes that students will feel comfortable moving between the school's different locations.

"For example, when you come into the building here, there is a security gate. To go through the gate, you use your school ID card. It's the same in the NYU building in New York. The same cards will work whether you're in New York, or here in Shanghai or you're in Abu Dhabi. It's all one system. It does help people to feel very familiar wherever they are within the NYU system."

Outside, the NYU Shanghai campus is within walking distance of the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, the Yuanshen Sports Center and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, "which will better guarantee an exciting life in Pudong for the students," said Lehman.

According to the vice chancellor, the university's gallery space and welcome center on the ground floor will be open to walk-in visitors and tours for registered visitors inside the building will be arranged probably on a weekly basis starting in September. "We want to invite the public in to make it easier for them to learn about the school and what we are doing. Regular presentations and introductions about the school will be given to visitors," he explained.

The auditorium

 

The library

 

Online search facilities

 

Classroom

 

Academic resource center

 

Exterior

 

Canteen

 

Colloquium space

Photos: Ni Dandan/GT