The Bell Tower, 2013
Shantou University, Guangdong, China

Landscape Architect: Andropogan Associates
Lighting Design: Tillett Lighting Design Associates
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates
Photography: Courtesy Shantou University

This project involved the redesign of the front gateway entrance to the university and the design of a bell tower set within the campus.

Sixty feet high, the bell tower acts as a beacon for the campus. The design is composed of two elements: a simple metal arc that holds a suspended Chinese bell, and a solid stone tower. The lyrical metal arc is inspired by a calligraphic brushstroke, a form that is made by the hand as it gently creates a simple curve, while the stone tower that holds it up is pure geometry.

Embedded LED lights reminiscent of computer bit programming are set within the tower, and this seemingly random pattern is actually part of a time-based constellation array that marks the date of the founding of the university. The stone wall at the new entranceway also has a complex series of openings, allowing light and visibility into the campus. This patterning combines old hand-built wall methodology with imagery that is both reminiscent of a natural structure and evocative of computer-driven data imagery.

The pairing of old and new language types— calligraphy and binary coding—as well as the juxtaposition of the gestural and the linear, sets up a balance between opposites, which is a major part of the design.

The new design of the gateway and pathway also reworked the original vehicular entrance, creating a pedestrian-friendly approach to the campus. Vehicular traffic will be redirected to a separate roadway and on to parking to discourage the use of cars on the campus. The roadway had to be maintained as a fire egress and access, yet more emphasis was put on a human-scale approach. The entire front landscape was rethought to create a wooded grove that reveals the bell tower as you walk up the path. The plantings in the front green space create an open but protected wooded area, pulling in the character of the landscape surrounding the campus while softening the busy sounds of the highway traffic directly outside the university gate.